Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-05-24
The Rangers Adventure.

The Rangers Adventure.
A correspondent of the Knlckerbocker, after
describing n visit to the residence Of a very old
gentleman, Dr. Blank, in the Western part of
Massachusetts, relates the following details of
an adventure. during the old French war:
"A, nineteen years OF age, he joined the ar
my of the provinces, that IN l775 essaycd to
take Cro~n Point from the French. He march |
ed to the lakes with Col. Ephraim Williams, |
than whom more gallant man never breathed
the air of New England. The doctor fought
under his command at Lake George, IN the mo
g,ned he saw, the fall of his brave leader; and
is quite sure that he put bullet into the French
officer, Mons. 81. Pierre. The next year he
joined Rogers company of Rangers, and was
s,atiuned with party Of them at Forte Ann,
no, tar from where Whitehall now stands Bu'
al ;h,t day it was "dark and bloody ground :"
a frcuticr station in the fIres's, which were FL
led with rival savagcs attached TO France or
England.
One day. in mid-w inter, eight rangers with
a sergeant. were ordered out on some service
the doctor did no, know what. bu, probably to
srlze some straggIiny Frenchman about Ticon-
dcroga or Crown Point, and bring him to the
tort, for the sake of obtaining intelligence
| Tie was himself on the party. A narrow road,
or rather path, led northward toward Canada.
and they followed il for several hours. There
had Just been heavy fall OF snow all the
pines and hcmlocks in the forest we're loaded
| thick with il and as the afternoon was still
and rlear only occasional flakes or light mas.
ses dropped from the burdened borghs like fea-
theirs. These circumstances were stamped on
the old man's mind, seeming like constantly
rerurrln INC dream. The rangers wnded in In.
dian file through the snow, and "a danger was
| apPrchemdcd, man was placed some rods in
| ndrauce, one On each flank and another behind.
TINS lat vas tie doctor himself, 'and this was
the .un carried, >ad he taking a short hea-
Y, piece from corner They saw no signs
of the enemy there was no sound but the note
ot the ln,e chick a.dre-tce,' SO familiar to the
pine wW,ds IN the winter.
AT length they descended into a hollow the
.rozru sheet OF Lake George lay not far on to
the i.n, and steep hill on the right. The
! ground a short distance before them, was low
and swampy, and lutte brook had spread IT.
self out on the path, making frozen space,
| tree from trees, acrnss which their advanced
nIan was now slowly trampng, crushed his
bnots nto the Ice aud water at every step
He paused suddenly, turned sharply round, and
gave the low whistle appointed as the signal Of
alarm. He had s.er the tracks of many moca.
sIned feet in the fresh snow beyond. There
was not time to think the loud report of a gun
broke the Stiffness. The ranger gave shrilI
scream, leaped four tcet into the air and tell
Hat INSTANTLY the Indian yell bnrst from the
woods on oar right aud left followed by the
stunning rattle Of more than fifty guns, and not
a min OF the rangers but one ever moved alive
from the spo, where he stood transiiXeG with
surprise at the sudden death Of their comIade
That man was our hero, whose position, far
behind the rest, savci MN. lie remembered
the panic trlt ct the fierce burst of yells and
mn-ketry. and the suddrn rush Of the savage
swarm r N their ambush, upon his fallen com
radrs aud, in the next instant, that his me-
mory could recall, he was flying back toward
the fort. lie heard sharp, sudden ye'ps beuud
HIM, and g'ancrng back, saw two indians bound
lng on his track lie ran mile, he should
think, without Turning or hearing sing lie sound
then turning his head, saw an Indian leaping
silent as n spectre, within few rods of him
With admirable coolness, he turned quickly
ronnd. and raising his gun with a steady hand
fired with such good effect that The Abenak
pitched forward to the ground and his shaver
head ploughed up the SNOW for yards, by the
irrpulse f his headong pur uit. The young
soldier turned and Acd again, and as he did Sc
: he heard the repnr, of the other Indians gun
: followed BY the loud hummlnq oftre bil'.-
; So alert and attentive were his faculties, thai
he observed where the bullet struck upon