Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-10-06

ir known that he would have struck for these mour
D. tains, instead of taking the Sacondag- route
J. where the Palatine yaegars were out and on th
v watch far him. To die Sd like brute in tn
h aRds OF Il butcher-without one word of warnin
to be burned like a wood-cbuck in his hold
y stricken TO death without chance of dealing on
# blow for his defence! Nv father, my poor faith
n er! On, God! cannot hear to
# But the youth knew not the self-renovatin!
: spirit OF LIES spring time when he thought tina
S his first sorrow, bitter it was, would blast hi
r manhood forever. A first grief never bigh,s the
heart of man. The sapline hickory may be bow
l ed-may be shattered BY the storm, but it has al
elasticity and toughness of fibre that keep it from
pershing. 1t is only long exposure to ii success
| sion of harsh and biting winds that steals away
its vIgor, drinks up its sap of life, and sends a
chill at last to the root which nourished its vi
tally.
That day of cruel woe, like all Others had an
end tor the young forester; and when the waning
moon rose upon the scene OF his ruined home, her
yellow light disclosed the boy kneeing upon the
sod wherewith he had covered up the bones of his
only earthly relatives. She, too, was sole wit
ness to the vow Of undyng vengeance which he
swore upon the spot against the whole race of red
men.
/ The seasons had twice gone their rounds since
destruction had come over the house of the set
tier, and his son had never vet revisited the spot
which, with the exuberaut growth OF an Aneri-
can soil, had partly relapSed INTO It's native Wild
ness, from the tangled vines and thtckets which
had overgrown the clearing. The strong OF
the government had for while driv the Indians
beyond the reach of private vengeance; but now
they were again returning to their tavorIte hunt
ing ground north of the Mohawk and around the
sources OF the Hudson. Some even had ycntur-
ed into Albany to dispose of their packs Of SKINS
and carry back supply of powder and other
cessaries OF the hunter of the wilderness. 1t was
,oTt 81, Al r
the settlements, on their way through the north
ern forests, to tho very spot where his III of ven
geance had been recorded. The sequel may best /
be told in the words of old hunter under whose
guidance | made my frs, and only visit TO the |
Dead Clearing
sit was about two o'clock of hot August af !
that Ben, after thus following up their
trail for three days, came upon the two Tniuns lust
where the moose-runaway makes opening in
he forest, and lets the light down upon yon will
ow that still fourishes beside the old hemlock
The lnJins were sitting beneath the willow, think
ng themselves sheltered by the rocky bank OPP
'osite, and mass of underwood which had shot
lp round the top of an oak, which had been twist
ID Off IN a tornado in some former day, and tnen
ay Embedded iii weeds beneath the knoll. But I
few yards from this bank, in tina, thicket round c
he roots of you messy old beach, Ben found a c
heller, from which, at any moment, he could h
reep up and cover aiii>A ...h liz G f~e,.,, ha- ! h
ind the knoll. Bat as he had only one barrel a
iece, it required full as cool a hand as his to a
ant and tako both the creatures at one shot "
loody Ben, though, jist the chap to do it h
ike enough he waited manceuvred round for u
Il hour to get his chance which did at last IL
owsumdcver. The lnJuns, who. la their own o.
ay, arc laighty takers, you must know--that is
hen they have really something to talk about 81
ot into some argument, wherein figures. about sc
hich hey know mighty little, were concerned. CT
ne took out his seal ping knife to make marks III
bon the earth TO help him; while the other, try 10
g to make matters clearer with the aid of his Y
ayers, their heads came each other list as is
VI may have seen those of white people when
- get parroichinr right in airnest. SO they an
guhed and they counted, getting and pr
arer as they became more eager, till their "a
us. almost touching, came within the exact de
lge of Ben's rifle; and then Ben, he ups and
ads the ball SD clean through both, that ii
rled itself in Il sapliDg behind them. And =,
It, think, pretty well for the first shot of ""
ad of ei ghteen aud Bloody Ben himself never wa
,fessed TO making better one afterwards
The tourist. who hould now seaI, tho scon. of arc
. a,l,an,,,a wan,I - - -: nc u Fo
cetul exotic that once marked the spot. The WI
on tho Indians mo, ,h.i- da,tL yy 'pins fire
shade, was changedin into old decayed trunk =, q
h but one living branch when beheld it: and az
'nderous vine vas rapidly strangng the life ":
this decrepid limb. The hardy grow III of the o'u
we forrest had hardly obiterated the improve '"
ITS of the pioneer. The wild animals in drink Sas
from the spring hard by, had dislodged the :. 10 :,
stones from its brink; tall weeds waved amid :"
spreading pool and the fox had made his den IN
lie rocky knoll upon whose side once stood the N
er's cabin of THE DEAD CLEARING.