four o'clock in the afternoon
The latter winced somewhat , but mastered his feelings and made no reply ; and the renegade resuming his former pace , the party again proceeded in silence . Toward night , Ella became so fatigued and exhausted by the long day 's march , that it was with the greatest difficulty she could move forward at all ; and Girty , taking some compassion on her , ordered the party to halt , until a rough kind of litter could be prepared ; on which being seated , she was borne forward by four of the Indians . At dark they halted at the base of a hill , where they encamped and found a partial shelter from the wind and rain . At daylight they again resumed their journey ; and by four o'clock in the afternoon arrived at the river , which they immediately crossed in their canoes ; and , as the water was found in a good stage , did not land until they reached the first bend of the Miami -- the place agreed on for the meeting between Girty and Wild-cat . As the latter chief and his party had not yet made their appearance , Girty and his band went ashore with their prisoners , and took shelter under one of the largest trees in the vicinity , to await their coming . Of this expected meeting , the captives as yet knew nothing ; and it was of course not without considerable surprise , mingled with a saddened joy , that they observed the approach , some half an hour later , of their friends and enemies . Ella , on first perceiving their canoes silently advancing up the stream , started up with a cry of joy , which was the next moment saddened by the thought that she was only welcoming her relatives to a miserable doom .