But now, the next morning, I must turn my back upon the town, and travel
with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I knew not whither. It is
not my tongue, or pen, can express the sorrows of my heart, and bitterness
of my spirit that I had at this departure: but God was with me in a
wonderful manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did
not quite fail. One of the Indians carried my poor wounded babe upon a
horse; it went moaning all along, "I shall die, I shall die." I went on
foot after it, with sorrow that cannot be expressed. At length I took it
off the horse, and carried it in my arms till my strength failed, and I
fell down with it. Then they set me upon a horse with my wounded child in
my lap, and there being no furniture upon the horse's back, as we were
going down a steep hill we both fell over the horse's head, at which they,
like inhumane creatures, laughed, and rejoiced to see it, though I thought
we should there have ended our days, as overcome with so many
difficulties. But the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me
along, that I might see more of His power; yea, so much that I could never
have thought of, had I not experienced it.
After this it quickly began to snow, and when night came on, they stopped,
and now down I must sit in the snow, by a little fire, and a few boughs
behind me, with my sick child in my lap; and calling much for water, being
now (through the wound) fallen into a violent fever. My own wound also
growing so stiff that I could scarce sit down or rise up; yet so it must
be, that I must sit all this cold winter night upon the cold snowy ground,
with my sick child in my arms, looking that every hour would be the last
of its life; and having no Christian friend near me, either to comfort or
help me. Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not
utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord upheld me with His
gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both alive to see the light of
the next morning.
