, 1842-05-21

u oS q IluSlCldL Ill tilt
company under his father. He wa.
a beautiful and sprightly lad, and wa!
SAID TO have been one of the mos
promising boys of the settlement
Whiie the squaw was thus bealin.
nm along in evident delight upor
e oack, intending perhaps to adop'
nun INTO her own family, another one
OF her own sex came up and planted
me Ratchet in the little boys head
Young Buck fell off the old squaw:s
back and sank upon the ground dead.
Then immediately succeeded 4 con.
test between these two females
The n fell upon the other with the
fury OF a manic, and others coming
up joined in the struggle. This scene
occurring at about the distance of
TOUR rods from where the warriors
were IN consultation, drew aside their
attention from the business before
them, and led them to interfere in set
ting this quarrel. Mr.. Hammond
watched the progress of this little
Squabble with intense interest, sur.
posing, as the event proved, that its
issue would have an influence in de-
Gliding his OWN and his companions
fate. The %combatants were soon Sc.
parated and the warriors returned to
their places, but Immediately after,
the Squaw, who had been the first az
gress3r, came forward TO the ring and
placing her hands upon the shoulders
OF two OF the prisoners, made them
lean to n side, while she stepped
between them into their midst and
advanced toward the centre of their
circle with the deadly weapon in her
hand. She came in directly toward
Mr.. Lebbcus Hammond, and he sup
posed that she had marked him for
her victim, but as she came forward
she fixed her eye upon one Il little to
his left, and coming up. planted the
Ratchet in his head. He sank back
upon the ground without a groan.-
MIR. Hammond then sat for a moment
mawlul suspense, not knowing which
way the cruel wretch would turin
Another stroke or two and his head
might receive the dreadful blow. But
the squaw took the one farther off TO
the left and kept going on in this way
around the ring. For a few mo-
ments his mind was in Il state OF un-
utlerable anguish and confusion.-
The thought that seemed TO be up
permost was, that he must die-that
he must sit and see each one of his
brave companions receive the un-
erring blow of the tomahawk until it
should be his urn 10 meet the awful
stroke. But must be sit still and
wait a certain and terrible death with
out any effort to cling to life? Could
there be the last probability of es-
cape even though he should make the
attempt! Yet would it not be bet
ter to part with life in n struggle, than
to pass away in that silent gloom
where nothing vas heard but the
dead noise of the Ratchet as it de-
seconded upon one head after another
the squaw continued her course
around the ling? On, how could he
bear to await the death without nerv-
ing his arm to resist the stroke!--
Such were the thoughts that flashed
across his mind in a moments space.
Each one bad his own feelings, and
they all sat pale with the emotions
that rushed into their bosoms at the
thoughts of dying, thus surrounded
by their cruel and inhuman foes.
When the squaw had proceeded
about half way around the ring, Mr..
Hammond resolved upon making an
effort for his life. He had no idea
that he could escape, for he saw that
the warriors were standing in a row
of about three in depth all around
them. Yet he resolved to make a
trial, deeming it better to meet death
in a struggle for life, than tamely to
submit when there was a ciiance ior
an effort. And now that he had FORM
ed a resolution, he wondered that the
rest sat m~otien!ess and quiet-he was
almost surprised that they did not
start upon their feet, and dashIns tho
old squaw to the ground, contend
from hand to hand with tneir savage
foes until they were clasPed IN what
would then seem to him the welcome
embrace of death. But they all sat
in mute expectation OF the dreadful
moment, and the most OF them partly
bent over with their ceuntenances
sad and pale. -~
The unseemly executIoner kept on
her way around the ring, and Mi.
Hammond perceived that whenever
she raised the Ratchet, the eyes OF al
were directed toward her, and he
-, do, ,b;s would be a good