took the sword, and discovered the initials of Boyd's name stamped on the blade near the hilt. To the whole tale Hammond listened without expressing the slightest emotion, well knowing the consequences of the least manifestation of the indignation which he felt burning in his bosom.

"When the Indians were ready to lie down, they pappoosed the prisoners, (fastened them down with poles laid across them, with an Indian on each end of the poles,) as on the preceding nights; then they drew their blankets over their heads and fell into a sound sleep. One only seemed to be on the watch. About midnight Bennet manifested great uneasiness, and asked to get up. He received for answer, Most day-lie down, dog.' He insisted that he was sick and must get up. About one o'clock the Indians all got up and released the prisoners, allowing them to get up and walk about. Bennet brought wood and flung it on the fire. In about two hours all the Indians were snoring again, except the old watchman, and he commenced roasting the deer's head, first sticking it in the fire, and then scraping off the meat with his knife and eating it. Finally the old fellow began to nod over his early breakfast. Hammond placed himself by an Indian axe, and Andrew Bennet, the boy, stood by the guns, which were stacked. Both watched the movements of Mr. Bennet, who was poking up the brands. He had on a long great coat, and as he came round near the Indians, took hold of a spontoon or war-spear, which lay by his side, and stepped back with the instrument covered by his coat, holding it in a perpendicular position behind him. When he had reached the right point behind the Indian he plunged it through him. The spontoon was so firmly fixed in the body of the Indian that Bennet was obliged to abandon it, and to use a gun and tomahawk during the rest of the fight. Hammond used the axe, dashing it into the head which was first lifted. The old Indian who had given the account of Boyd's massacre was the first to take the alarm. He yelled out Chee-woo! chee-woo!' when Hammond buried the head of the axe in his brains, and he fell headlong into the fire. The next blow took an Indian on the side of his neck, just below the ear, and he fell upon the fire. The boy snapped three guns, not one of which happened to be loaded, but his operations made the Indians dodge and jump straight under Hammond's axe, or the breech of a gun which old Mr. Bennet had clubbed, and with which he did terrible execution. A stout Indian undertook to secure a weapon by a rush upon the boy. He sprang upon him with the fury of a demon, his eyes seeming to blaze, when the brave little fellow swung the breech of a gun, and buried the cock in the top of his head. Just at that moment the only two Indians remaining alive, took to their heels, when Mr. Bennet, who could throw a tomahawk with the precision and force of any red-skin, picked up a tomahawk and let it slip, and it stuck in the back of one of them. The Indian turned round, being at about the distance of forty feet, and hallooed out Whoo," and the blanket fell from his shoulders, and the hatchet was left with it on the ground, he running off naked.

"It was an awful struggle, but it was not long. A minute and a half or two minutes, and the work was done. Five of the savages were piled upon or around the fire, and two had fled badly wounded. There was a great contrast between the present appearance of the Indian camp under the rock, and that camp the evening before, when the blood-thirsty savage gloried in the barbarous deed of cutting off Boyd's fingers and toes, and pulling out his eyes; and looked forward to, perhaps, the next night, when he would glut his savage vengeance in a similar manner upon the prisoners who were obliged to listen to the recital without the slighest expression of sympathy for their brave companion and friend. The prisoners were now free, and no time was lost. They supplied themselves with good moccasins from the feet of the dead and dying Indians, and took guns and ammunition for defense, and blankets for their protection from the cold, and fifteen minutes from the moment the last blow was struck they were upon the line of march for their home and friends." Pp. 295–300.

The homeward journey of these self-liberated captives comprehended an amount of suffering that human language cannot describe. Wet, cold, hungry, lacerated, exhausted, they did, nevertheless, reach home on the second day after their escape. That their families and friends were astonished and delighted to see them, it were needless to affirm. It was a sort of life from the dead. But if the reader would see more of this tragic history (and we can hardly suppose otherwise) he must avail himself of Dr. Peck's more ample details.

But though tragedy has a decided preponderance in the historic scenes of Wyoming, the mind is nevertheless occasionally relieved by something in the shape of comedy. Everything, by the unalterable laws of nature, is rendered more striking by contrast; nor does the principle fail here. Amid these scenes of blood and carnage, of deprivation and suffering, enough in themselves to appal and overwhelm the stoutest heart, something will now and then occur before which gravity itself is compelled to retreat. An instance or two will certainly please, even though they should not particularly profit the reader. The author is giving an account of what followed the disastrous battle of July 3, 1778, in which Mrs. Bennet, the wife of the heroic Bennet named above, is seen to act a conspicuous and most honorable part. He says:

"From the history, thus far, it will be seen that Mrs. Bennet was a woman of great spirit, and an unusual amount of physical strength, even for the times. She could stand being robbed by an Indian with a tomahawk in his hand, but she could not endure having her clothing pulled from her person by an Indian woman. A filthy squaw undertook forcibly to deprive her of one of her garments, when the spirit of the Yankee woman, even by all the fearful circumstances by which she was surrounded, could not bow down. She drew her clenched hand and gave the old hag a blow in the face which felled her to the ground. The squaw, recovering, grappled the pale-faced woman, but was soon worsted in the struggle. It was an anxious moment with the friends of Mrs. Bennet who were present. Would she be tomahawked on the spot? was the question revolved in every mind. That question was soon settled by a roar of laughter from the Indians, one of them patting her on the back with the complimentary words, "Good squaw." The vanquished old thief then sneaked off wonderfully crestfallen."

The narrative, as given by Mrs. Myers, the daughter of Mrs. Bennet, then proceeds:

"They took our feather-beds, and ripping open the ticks, flung out the feathers, and crammed in their plunder, consisting mostly of fine clothing, and throwing them over their horses, went off. A squaw came riding up with ribbons streaming from her head over the horse's tail. Some of the squaws would have on two or three bonnets, generally backside before. One of them rode off astride mother's side-saddle, that, too, wrong end foremost, and mother's scarlet cloak hanging behind her, being tied at the back of the neck. We could not help laughing at the ridiculous figure she cut, in spite of the deep trouble which then all but overwhelmed us." Pp. 164, 165.

But we must pause. To transcribe what is specially interesting would be to copy the whole book. There is not a single page of it that will not be read with more or less interest. The chapters entitled," Colonel Matthias Hollenback," "Incidents of Adventure related by Mrs. Martha Myers," "The Captive Girl, Frances Slocum," "The Fratricide," "The Capture and Escape of Jonah Rogers, Moses Van Campen, Peter Pence, and Abram Pike," are replete with rare and most startling details. If the history of our country contains anything more truly remarkable, it has not fallen under our own observation. Either chapter, taken separately, is worth more than the price of the whole book. Nor should we omit to say that the pictorial illustrations, with which the volume abounds, are graphic and life-like. They add materially to the value of the performance.

That the book should contain some minor errors is not wonderful. Indeed, it would be wonderful were it not so. Perfect typographical accuracy is among the most difficult things to be acquired in this imperfect state. The Harpers are, we suppose, if not at the head, at least in the first class of publishers in the United States. But even they blunder sometimes. There are, in the volume before us, instances of defective punctuation which not only obscure the sense of the author, but sometimes almost pervert his meaning. In the next edition, however, for we expect the book will be published for years to come, these little errors can be, doubtless will be corrected.

Nor can we consistently close without calling the attention of the author himself to what strikes us as a very obvious error in one of his allusions to the Sacred Text. Speaking of the return of the Bennets and Hammond to their home in Wyoming, after their marvelous escape from the savages, he says, (p. 302,) "When they saw the last range of hills peering up in the distance, they, like Paul, when he saw the Three Taverns, thanked God and took courage.' The error consists in supposing that it was the sight of the Three Taverns' that inspired the great apostle with gratitude and courage. It is very true that, physically exhausted as St. Paul possibly was at the time, the prospect of rest and food might have been quite comforting to him. But the sacred historian certainly makes no such statement. He is giving an account of St. Paul's journey to Rome, as a prisoner under Nero, and says: "From thence," that is, from Rome," when the brethren heard of us they came to meet us, as far as Appii-Forum and the Three Taverns: WHOM, when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage." (Acts xxviii, 15.) Now the simple question is, what is the natural, the proper antecedent of the personal pronoun "whom?" To say that it was either Appii

Forum, or the Three Taverns, would make sad havoc, not only with the grammatical construction of the language, but the evident meaning of St. Luke. It was the sight of these Christian "brethren," some of whom went out to meet him as far as the Three Taverns, about thirty miles from Rome, and some as far as Appii-Forum, about fifty-one miles, that caused the apostle to thank God and take courage. Thus understood there is great moral beauty in the statement. Paul was full of solicitude. He knew not what was the state of things at Rome. It was a query whether there was anybody there that would in the least sympatise with him. But his doubts were now at an end. Men who would come so far to meet and comfort him, could not be indifferent to his fate. Besides, the very fact that they were "brethren," one with him in Christ, was full of comfort and encouragement. "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Dr. Peck is a first-rate Biblical scholar, and we have not the least idea he will ever think of vindicating the use he has made of the passage in question. He has not examined it, but has been led astray by popular misconstruction. The text is often quoted to prove that taverns, embracing, of course, their exciting refreshments, are very good things. The sight of three of them caused even an holy apostle to thank God and take courage! To decry taverns, therefore, is to disparage St. Paul!

It is, in truth, to correct this popular error, rather than the distinguished author of Wyoming, that these remarks are made. The Doctor himself would, we are quite sure, be among the last to give the least comfort or encouragement to "tavern haunters." Indeed, his allusion is only incidental, and, in itself, could do no great harm. We notice it chiefly because we would not have this popular volume countenance, even by implication, "viciousness of life."

We will only add, that whoever may wish to consult a graphic and reliable history of Wyoming, or whoever may desire to read some of the most exciting, and at the same time profoundly interesting narratives in the English language, will do well to make haste and procure the book of which we here take leave.

ART. VII.-AMERICAN MISSIONS.

[SECOND ARTICLE.]

1. "Thirty-Ninth Annual Report of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 1858.

2. "Thirty-Second Report of the American Home Missionary Society." 1858.

3. "Fifty-Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Domestic Missions, Old School Presbyterian." 1858.

4. "Twenty-Sixth Report of the American Baptist Home Missionary Society." 1858.

INDIAN missions constitute the first division of our native work. These were noticed in our first article, published in the April number of the Review.

The second department of native, or home work, is that among the English speaking population of our country, consisting of nativeborn citizens, and of emigrants speaking our language. There is no country in the world where there is as much missionary work of this character as in our own, and the necessity for the faithful performance of it is undoubtedly unmeasured and immeasurable.

The present able missionary secretary of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the Report for 1858, says of these missions: "This class of missions is at present the most valuable of all our missions, in the estimation of many of our most intelligent brethren. They receive a larger support than any other class, and always have. Though, like the domestic virtues, they are but little visible to the public eye, and, of course, too little appreciated and praised, yet they are really among the most noble and fruitful enterprises of the Church."

It is trite, but true, that our political institutions can abide and prosper only in the midst of an intelligent and Christian people. And unless we have greatly overrated the intelligence and virtue of American patriotism, it may be appealed to with the utmost confidence in behalf of this department of American missions. And the Church or missionary organization which will be American not in name merely, but truly American in spirit and work, seeking the glory of God and the salvation of souls, first and chiefly on American soil, and among those in whose hands are the present and future political destiny and Christian character of our country, will have the cordial, general and efficient support of the American people. The Christian conscience and political intelligence of our citizens may be relied upon for this result. The history of the Church among us furnishes evidence of the truth of the above position. As we read that history FOURTH SERIES, VOL. X.-39