The horse was more probably stolen than pro-
vided for Jane's comfort or convenience ; and
had they been sent to the house of Mrs. M'
Neil, General Frazer would have been made
acquainted with the design, and would have
provided for her as well as for Jane. The
place of the rencontre too, forbids the pre-
sumption, that this Indian party wa$ sent to
escort these two ladies to the British camp.
They were lurking in ambuscade, in a deep
ravine, some distance from the highway, be-
tween that and the river where they had been
seen early that morning, by a Tory who lived
near the spot, for the very purpose, no doubt,
of intercepting any American scouts or vedets.
They pressed forward to the house of Mrs.
M'Niel, because they were near it ; and it was
out of reach of the guns of the garrison, more
probably for plunder or the scalps of the flying



m



78 burgoyne's campaign.
Americans, (some of whom they might have
supposed to have taken refuge in the house)
than for the ladies whom they carried off and
treated as prisoners.
Miss M'Crea's name is inscribed on the west
side of the pine tree before mentioned, with
the date 1777, and no traveller passes this spot
without spending a plaintive moment in con-
templating the untimely and tragical fate of
youth and loveliness, and dropping a silent
tear in token of the inward workings of a sen-
sitive mind.
