The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-11-01
Fl. BELL, Editor and Proprietor.
Che Lost 3srTue;
A LEGEND OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.
BY MRS. SARAH JANE HALE.
c o N C L U b z ID

ments. Had Robert Wilson lived in the
days of chivalry. his courage and constancv
would have been the theme of poets and
song of ministries; now, the only record
OF his name, or even of his existence, will
be this unPretending story.
The adventures entered the deep forest,
and, guided by the traces of the retreating
Indians, pressed forward, at first, with all
the speed they could urge. But Mendowet
soon checked his rapid pace, and represen.
ted to Bobert that the two Mohawks were
perhaps scouts from a large party and that
caution must be used or they might una.
wares be caught in an ambush. Roberts
patience would never have submitted TO this
curb could he by any means have avoided
it but as he could not quicken the pace
of Mendowet, he was obliged TO conform
! to it.
Cautiously, therefore, they journeyed on
! through the old woods, where a civilized
being had never before voluntarily ventur-
ed. All was silence, save when, at long
! intervals, the cry of some solitary bird broke
upon the ear With startling shrillness; or.
perhaps. a rustiing among the dry branch
es made the wanderers pause in breathless
silence, ill deer, bounding across their
path would plunge into the opposite thick
eft; while they did not dare to send bullet
after him, lest the report Of their guns should
alarm the enemy, who might even then be
! lurking close beside them.
There was. during the pursuit, fearful
apprehension. an undesirable horror on the
heart and mind of Robert, far more terrible
than the grief he would have felt had he
known that Mary was no more. The tor
lures she might be forced to undergo, haun-
: ted his Imagination till every sound seemed
to warn him to hasten 10 her relief and
the delaysand Instructions which were con
stanty occurring, made his blood boil with
! a fury he could scarcely control. His i'm
! patience greatly surprised Mendowet. who,
with all the philosophic calmness of sage,
would take his own time to examine the
traces of their fleeing foes, calculate the
distance they had gained, and the probable
time when they should overtake them
] his would have been soon accomplished
had the Mohawks proceeded straight for.
ward. But, as if anticipating pursuit, these
Indians were continually practicIng 10 e.
lude it. They would often trace back their
own footsteps. like the doublings of fox
and when following the course of river,
travel in the water, and cross and re>cross
/ in places which no skill save the sagaciiy
of the red man could have discovered
These subtle movements convinced
Mendowet, that there was no large body of
! Indians at hand and on the morning of
the fourth day he announced that they
should soon see the captive. They were
approaching the Mountains, and Mendowet
was eager TO ovcr;ake the Indians before
! they entered the defile which led TO the
| Notch By the foot prints they ascertain
| that Mary did not walk, probably could not;
and Robert shuddered and clenched his gun
J with convulsive grasp. as at each step,his
eye searched around in every penetrable
direction. dreadIng to meet confirmation
of his fears; yet the sight of her mangled
corse would scarcely have added TO his
| hearts agony.
The weather which ever since they had
left Dover, and, indeed. for some time be-
fore, had been extremely dry, and hot, now
suddenly changed; and they seemed trans
ported to another region. Thick. black
masses of clouds enveloped the noun.
tains, and soon covered the whole horizon,
and the darkness of night came down at
once. Then the wind suddenly rose and
at intervals swept onward with the force of
a tornado. 1t required no effort Of the i'm
agination to fancy that the old woods were
trembling with the apprehensions of some
terrible calamity. The trunks of the lar.
gest trees were quivered, and their lofty
heads were bent almost 10 the ground as
the mountain went sounding by from
cavern far more awful than the Ronces-
valles strait
I'VE must return, said Mendowet, pau
sing. We cannot overtake them, the Sc
cret path of Agiocochook, Mendowet must
not tread.
You must returned Robcrt,sternly mis-
taking the cause of his guides reluctance
but we need moi fight. Only show me the
Mohawks, and if there be two hundred il
stead of two, will rescue Mary
He was interrupted by flash OF light
ming. so vivid that, for a moment the noun
tains and their recesses were revealed, their
high heads that reached upwards to the
! "oh y't"HuS Cudouio anu uSSP
gullies; the huge rocks. some fixed as earth's
foundations, and others apparently sdspen-
ded in air, ready to topple on the heads of
those beneath; the dark trees, their roots
and fibres twisted, like serpents, amid the
precipices over which they were bending,
and as it were clingiEg for safety. tre-
mendous peal of thunder followed, its roar
shook the earth, and then its echoes rever
berated through the pent air with deafen-
ing noise. 1t seemed to have rent the clouds,
for in a moment after the rain burst in tor
rents.
1t was IN vain 20 attempt moving forward.
while the wind and rain beat so furiously
Robert asked the guide where they could
shelter Mendowet pointed to the west side
oil the mountain, near which they stood,
and began hastily to ascend. Robert fol-
lowed. The path was perilous, and requir
+ ed much caution; but the Indian seemed
malI acuu,infed NTH ha -,.:I.