Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1837-04-15
From the Jerseyman.
A NIGHT BY THE POCONO.

The road leading from Wyoming Valley On the
Susquehanna, to East on the Delaware, crosses
one of the most wild. rugged and gloomy noun
tains in Pennsylvania, and 10 called the Pocono.
There are even At this day, few inhabitants upon
liz, and they live life Of solitude hunting and trap
| ping form their principal occupations Wild and
ferocious beasts Of nature roam the Forest and fix
their habitatons in the huge rocks and caves with
which the ns abound. For thirty or forty
miles along the turnpike road, the travellers eye
10 greeted BY but two or three dwellings which
b. ave the sppe arance Of human hAbitaaions.
Ii was in the autumn Of 1870, taat | was pass
ing this dreary mountain alone, and on horse
back-the roads at that time being almost impass-
able for carriages. The sun had Just peeped over
the tail pines the Susquchanna, as found my
self at the foot If the Pocono, the way Phila-
ldelphia, intending to reach . house kept oy Wan.
Sax, where travellers sometimes found acc0mmO-
datioos. I rode ell day without falling in with any
company, aud endeavored to chase away the feel
ngs Of solitude which were occasionally creeping
over mo, By talking to nv horse, wkistl,ng or sing
ing some favori,e tune Of by-gone days.
| The curtains of night began to fall around me i,
and my horse appeared festive and impatient
to attain the end Of his journey. Nov and the"
the distant howl Of the wolf would fall hanbly upon
my ear, and cause the horse to prick up his ears,
snort and press forward with renewed vigor. All
at once fancied heard = human Voice! l0oA-
ed around and listened, but all silent. Again
q low, pIaintive vail, like that Of person in dis
tress, would reach my listening ear.-Could it be
q human vo'cee Or was II the counterfeit of the
panther to allure the traveller into his jaws.
Il must be that robbers infest these thckets,
and tho cry Of distress, for the purpose Of
decoying the unsuspect'ng. and giving the whole
gang opportunity for plumber. But-haTk. II
surely 10 . human voice. Such were the thoughts
that suggested themselves TO my Imagination, IS
rude along catching every sound. Now a cry
hall hS>ar oil
then another, slow, soPpant aud p'iful, would rise
upon my anxious ear, and 50 to tantalise me that
| was unable 20 form any opinion whatever. AT
length resolved to dsmount and recOnnOiter thick
ct which stood q few hundred PAGES from the road,
tied my horse to . tree and commenced the task.
At one time the sound appeared at en- immense
distance, and I almost despaired Of finding on,
from whence It proceeded. Then sgain it would
seem 90 near me, and % like human voice that !
pushed forward and soon arrived in the centre Of
the thick clump Of sapli"gs, where there was =
small open space. Here halted, and stood listen
cling yell ISSUED from q thick copse Of wood some
further l now felt sure il was a panther. and
vexed At being decoyed into greater danger turned
to retraco my steps ~ fast possible. Just at
that moment, fe, something pull me by the pam
falcons, and a voice proceeded with a deep sigh,
and sol in Plai" English, said: "Pa Isl yeuf Ma
is calling you yonder why don't you come?'
TO stop and pick up the li:te fellow, boy about
four years old, was but the work Of an instant,
and Just as left the SPOT another howl scream
burst upon my ears. l was fully convinced Of our
danger, and pressed the little boy i'll closer to my
b"som. 'Tha, amt Ma said he, after death-!ike
pause, and clung close to my neck. | did not stop
to ask how he came there, or where he lived, but
pressed towards the road as much a. fear and anx-
iety could urge me on. found the horse paving
and neighing furousy, that sweat rolled from
his sides in great drops, and he trembled like an
aspen leaf. He too was conscious Of his danger.
Mounting him and placing the boy before me on
the saddle, with my feet firmly fixed in the srrup.
gave the horse q loose rein. and he darted od
with the Tapidity o;ihe wind. lie had taken hut
few leaps when heard the dry brush crack but a
short distance behind me, and a scream-such an
one as ] csver wish TO hear again, came ringing in
my ears and caused my hair to raise my hat clear
Of NV head. The panther was full pursuit and
the jel Just uttered was that Of disappointment
My horse needed no urging, indeed it seemed as il
We were riding chain Of lightning, 30 fast did
he fly over the ground. At length heard a fain,
half-utteTed cry, which assured me our enemy had
given up the chase; and Just at that moment 1 dis
covered glimerine light through the trees, shor,
distance from A INV little friend saw
shall have supper after all."-The poor little
wanderers was evidently very hungry, and almost
despaired ofrel,e But-good God-what . sup
per the panther would have made, had not heard
the little suffers cries. We neared the light, and
my horse dashed into the door Of the house before
he dared to stop. His sudden appearance greatly
alarmed the inmates At first, but soon as they
recognized the boy, number Of voices cried 'sIit
tie George, little Geor9e-Ma, George ha. come, ,
and tears and prayers flowed from their eyes and
lips, the children gathered around me, and the
mother clasred the little tusnt to her bosom. o.
choked with grief that she could not utter word
and tears chased one another down her bosom n
rapid succession When she became a little more
ccmposed, she informed me tha, George had fol-
lowed the larger children into the fields to pich
)benies-had wandered from the others and 70,
! lost. The family were m search Of him. fearing
he would be devoured BY Wild beasts. Tho horn