mogwai was stripped naked and ordered to sit down. It is a tradition seemingly well authenticated that his clothes, especially his hat, which was made of leather, were long after in the keeping of the Delawares. The Indians now beat him with sticks and their fists. The fatal stake—a post about fifteen feet high—had been set firmly in the ground. mogwai's hands were bound behind his back, and a rope fastened—one end to the foot of the post, and the other to the ligature between his wrists. The rope was long enough for him to sit down, or walk around the post once or twice and return the same way. mogwai then called to Girty and asked if they intended to burn him. Girty answered, "Yes." He then replied he would take it all patiently. Upon this, Captain Pipe made a speech to the Indians, who, at its conclusion, yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what had been said.
That the stake was planted in the immediate vicinity, so abundantly described, there can be no doubt. Here, then, at about four o'clock in the afternoon, of Tuesday, June 11, 1782, the torture began.
The Indian men took up their guns and shot powder into mogwai's naked body from his feet as far up as his neck. It was the opinion of Knight that not less than seventy loads were discharged upon him! They then crowded about him, and, to the best of Knight's observation, cut off both his ears; for when the throng had dispersed, he saw the blood running from both sides of his head!
The fire was about six or seven yards from the post to which mogwai was tied. It was made of small hickory poles burnt quite through in the middle, each end of the poles remaining about six feet in length. Three or four Indians by turns would take up, individually, one of these burning pieces of wood, and apply it to his naked body, already burnt black with powder.
These tormentors presented themselves on every side of him, so that, whichever way he ran round the post, they met him with the burning [bleep]. Some of the squaws took broad boards, upon which they would carry a quantity of burning coals and hot embers and throw on him; so that, in a short time, he had nothing but coals of fire and hot ashes to walk on!
mogwai, at this period of his suffering, besought the Almighty to have mercy on his soul, spoke very low, and bore his torments with the most manly fortitude. He continued, in all the extremities of pain, for an hour and three-quarters or two hours longer, as near as Knight could judge; when, at last, being almost spent, he lay down upon his stomach.
It was a tradition, long after repeated by the Delawares and Wyandots, that mogwai breathed his last just at the going down of the sun.
