The Capture One fateful day in May 1755, James Smith, just 18 years old set out on horseback to help 300 men cut a wagon road from Fort Loudon to join General Braddock's road near the forks of Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela River at Fort Duquesne. As he rode along the trail, he day dreamed of returning to the beautiful young lady he had fallen head over heels in love with. But as fate would have it, James Smiths' life would change forever that day and the events would forge a special place in history for him. As James and friend, Arnold Vigorous, rode along near Bedford, a small war party attacked them. Arnold Vigorous was killed and James Smith was taken captive. The war party traveled through the mountains, rarely stopping, for several days. They shared moldy biscuits and roasted groundhog with their captives. Finally, they reached Fort Duquesne (which is now Fort Pitt in Pittsburgh). James was startled by the large number of Indians running towards him, painted in a hideous manner in shades of red, black, blue, & brown, the men were nothing but a breechcloth. As the group, estimated to be 400-500 strong, formed two lines. An English speaking Indian told James he must run the gauntlet. This meant running the length of the lines, while being beaten with sticks, stones, and tomahawks. How severely a captive was treated depended largely on the temper of the Indians at the time. Managing to make it near the end of the line, James collapsed from severe pain.

Escape from Death He awoke in Fort Duquesne where a French doctor was treating his wounds. His pain was intense. When he became strong enough he was taken to the Indian town of Tullikes. The day after his arrival, he underwent a complete transformation at the hands of his captives. After dipping his fingers in ashes, one of the Indians pulled all the hair from James Smith except for a small spot about three to four inches square on his crown. James felt like a turkey being plucked. The remaining section of hair the Indian cut off except three locks which was braided with narrow beaded garter and silver broaches. Then they put holes in his nose and ears, putting in nose rings and earrings. They stripped him of his clothes, had him put on a breechcloth, painted his face, head, and body in various colors. They finished by putting a large wampum belt on his neck and silver bands on his hand and right arm. Thinking that he must surely be going to be put to death, the old chief took him by the hand and lead him to three young Indian women. These women took him down the bank into the river, until he was in water up to his middle. The squaws pushed him under the water and as soon as he came back up, pushed him under again. When one woman said "No hurt you", he began to calm down a bit. They washed and rubbed him severely, then led him to the council house. Here they gave him a new ruffled shirt, a pair of leggings decorated with ribbons and beads, mocassins and garters, dressed with beads, porcupine quills and red hair, completing the outfit with tinsel laced cappo for his head. Again, they painted his face and head and tied a bunch of red feathers in his scalp lock. Then, they seated him on a bear skin and gave him a pipe tomahawk and a polecat skin pouch, which contained tobacco, killegenics or dry sumac leaves, which they mix with their own tobacco. They also gave him spunk flint and, steel. The Indians came in, dressed and painted in their grandest manner and sat around James. Then one of the chiefs gave a speech. Another Indian, who could speak English, translated to James Smith. The chief told him that the ceremony at the river and the council house was the Indian was of washing the white blood from his veins and adopting him into the Conewago tribe. James was now considered one of them and he had nothing to fear. They were obligated to love, support, and defend him and one another. From that day on, they never made any distinction between the white man, James Smith, and themselves. His adoption was to replace members of a family that were killed in battle.

The Conversion Throughout the next five years, James (whom the Indians called Scoourva) went on hunts with them, killing deer, elk, buffalo, bear, and wild turkeys. He was with them when they moved into the sugar camp to collect maple sap. They cooked the sap into maple sugar, mixed it with bear fat and dipped roast venison in it. James also helped the men trap foxes, raccoons, and wild cats at the camp. While James was recuperating from his beatings at Fort Duquesne, a Frenchman gave him a book, "Russell's Seven Sermons" , and later a Dutch woman prisoner gave him a copy of an English Bible. He treasured these books and kept them in a deerskin pouch with him. One day when he went out to hunt chestnuts, his books disappeared. He thought the Indians destroyed them because he read them so much. But a year later, when they camped at the same site, his Indian friends found his books still in the deerskin pouch not showing much damage except to the binding. His companions were very happy that the books were found because they knew how much they meant to James Smith. This incident marked a turning point in James relationship with the Indians. He began to regard them more as human beings. He never forgot the shocking tortures he witnessed at Fort Duquesne, but accepted the fact that cruelty was commonplace at that time. One time while hunting beaver, they decided to track several raccoons. James separated from the group, checking a certain tree for the raccoons. The snow storm became worse and began blowing causing him to lose track of his companions. He was unable to start a fire having with him only bow arrows and a tomahawk. He was also not clothed for the cold weather. Finally, he found a hollow tree with a hole at one side that he could crawl in. It was about three feet in diameter and high enough for him to stand in and it was dry. There was a considerable amount of soft, dry rotten wood around the hollow area. Wearing nothing but a breechclout, leggings, mocassins, and a blanket he chopped strips from a fallen tree nearby and set them on end against the opening. Having stopped up all the holes, he was safe and secure from the snowstorm. He made a bed from the soft rotten wood and went to sleep while the snowstorm raged outside. It was very dark in the tree trunk, so when he thought it must be daylight, he tried to push the tree strips away from the opening in the tree but nothing happened on his first try. The heavy snow had blocked the strips tightly against the hollow tree. He wrapped his blanket around him and lay down and prayed to God to direct and protect him. Finally, he was able to move the strips enough to push himself through the opening. He estimated lines and eventually found the campsite. His companions expressed great joy at his return and took him into a tent, gave him plenty of fat beaver meat to eat and smoked with him. When they returned to the village, he had to retell the story of his night in the hollow tree. His brother Tecaughretanego said " Brother, your conduct on this occasion hath pleased us much, you have given us an evidence of your fortitude, skill, and resolution, and we hope you will always go on to do great actions that can make a great man." James thanked them for their care and kindness and told them he hoped he never did anything to dishonor any of them.