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missed him and made inquiry as to his whereabouts. She was told that he had gone with Lewis to the old field, and with this information she was content. When Lewis returned to the house it was dark and Mrs. Gage asked him where Amissy was. He said to her that Amissy followed him and overtook him at the old field where he told him that he must return to the house, which he supposed he had done, and if he was not at the house he did not know where he was. It was now clear to Mr. and Mrs. Gage that Amissy was lost. A message was sent to my father who lived just across the branch, a distance of 250 or 300 yards, that Amissy was lost, and he sent runners to the neighbors asking for help to hunt the child. In less than two hours there were at least 50 persons assembled at Mr. Gage's house; the majority of them being Indians and negroes. There were but few white settlers up to this time. The hunt was made on the upland adjoining the swamp. Mr. Gage mounted a horse and made his way to an old field just on the first rise to the upland from the swamp. There he rode back and forth nearly all night calling Amissy at the top of his voice. The hunt was kept up until about three oclock next morning when my father lost all hope of finding him that night. There was an Indian named Matubbee who lived on the opposite side of Buckatunna, a distance of five miles away. My father sent a runner for Matubbee and he arrived at Mr. Gage's between daylight and sun up. The Indian was given his breakfast. He seemed to be in a deep study and had but little to say. After eating breakfast he asked to be shown to the place where	Amissy turned
back. The Indian boy, Lewis, said he could show him. At this Lewis and Matubbee started and we all followed. On arriving at the place Lewis said, "This is the place Amissy turned back." Matubbee said to the crowd that if he found him he would give a number of yells to let us	know. As he
turned to leave us we all started to follow him. He said we must not do that as he wanted to be entirely by himself. He then walked back a few steps to where a cow trail turned from the main path. Matubbee took this cow trail and went with his head down, as though he was	looking for
something, with his arms hanging at	will. A few
steps further on he saw a child's	track. He
hurried his gait and soon passed down a slope out of our sight. As he rose the hill on the opposite side he was in a trot with his head low to the ground. He soon passed over the hill and entered the swamp. Now the trail passed through the swamp
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and led to a branch that had steep bluffs on either side. At one place a log had fallen across the branch and was covered with briers and vines. Just above the log was a cow ford. Matubbee examined the ford but found no sign of the child's crossing. He then turned to the log and on examination found a part of the child's dress hanging on some vines. At this he hastened to to cow ford, crossed the branch, and came to the log on the opposite side. The swamp was so thick with underbrush and leaves on the ground that he could get no trace from this point as to the way the child went. Matubbee then went down the branch to where it emptied into Buckatunna, a distance of 150 yards. At the mouth of the branch there was a sand bar some 75 yards in length and on this he saw the child's tracks. It disappeared at the edge of the water and he then thought that the child was drowned, but could see nothing of him on the water. Matubbee turned up the creek to the upper part of the sand bar and there he saw the child's track, who evidently had walked in the water to the upper part of the bar and then came out. The tracks then led to the dense swamp. Matubbee	entered the swamp,	not
knowing which direction	to go. On reaching a	sag
or low place where he could look over the underbrush he stopped, and on glancing across the sag he saw an object close by a log. He made his way to it and when in twenty or thirty feet of the object he stepped on a stick that broke and made a noise. it was the child lying by the log, and he immediately sprang	up	to	his	feet	and	ran off.
Matubbee saw the child	had gone wild and	was
compelled to run him 75 or 100 yards before	he
could catch him. Matubbee then gave the signal as he said he would if he found him. We had returned to the house by this time but we heard the yell. It was not long before Matubbee got out of the swamp and as he was rising the hill from the swamp he gave another yell. He then placed the child on his shouder so that we could all see, as he came in sight, that the child was alive. Mrs. Gage had to be held. As Matubbee advanced to her with the child she grabbed	it	to	her	breast and	fainted
away, and had to	be	put	to	bed,	but with good
attention she recovered.	The	child	was	wild and
did not say a word for several hours. He could tell nothing of what took place during the night, it is thought that the only thing that saved him from being devoured by the wild animals was the continual noise and torch light on the first rise to the uplands kept up by the men during the night.
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Evans 003
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