Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1845-06-19
Volume


looked down the narrow ravi1e, the
lvengeful spirit of the red man was TOO
strong within him to allow such an op-
lportunity Of striking a blow to escape.
His tomahawk and war club had beth
4 been lost in the strife, but he still car.
IrIed at his back more efficient weap-5
on inthe hands Of 50 keen a hunter.s
There were but three arrows tn his
lquiver, and The Mohawk was deter.
mined to have the life of an enemy in
lexchange for each Of them, His bow
was strung quickly, but with as much
lcooffies as IF there was no exigency to-
require haste Yet he had hardly
time to hrowhimself upon his breast
few7yards from the brink of the dcclivi-
| ty.Fbefore one Of his pursuers, more ac-
tive than, the rest, exposed himself to
the unerring archer. He came leap
ing from rock to rock, and had nearly
reached the head of the glen, when
pierced through and through by one Of
kiodago's arrows he toppled from the
crags, and rolled, clutching the leaves in
his death-agony among the tangled furz
below. A second met a similar fate
and third victim would probably
have been added,i a shot from the
fusll of one af the whites, who sprang
forward and caught sight Of the Indian
just as the first man fell, had not disa--
bled the thumb joint ofthe bold archer,
even as he fixed the last arrow in the
string. Resistance seemed now to be
at an end. and Kiodago again betook
hmsefto flight. Yet anxious to divert
the pursuit from his wife, the young
chieitain peeled yell of defiance, as
he rctreated in different direction from
that which she had taken. The whoop
was answered by simultaneous shout
and rush on the part of the whites; but
the Indian had not advanced far before
he perceived that the pursuing party.
now reduced 10 six had divided, and
that three only followed him; the other
three following upon the direct trail to
the cavern which the Christian cap
tive had taken. Quick as thought the
Mohawk acted upon the impression.
Making a few steps within a thlcket,
still to fnislead his present pursuers, he
bounded across mountain torrent, and
then leaving his foot.marks dashed in
the yielding bank, he turned shortly on
a rock beyond, recrossed the stream,
and concealed himself behind fallen
tree, while his pursuers passed within
a few PAGES Of his covert. @ rss.
A broken hillock now only divided
the chief from the point to which he
had directed his wife by another route,
and to which the remaining party were
boldly urging their way The hunted
warrior ground his teeth in rage when
he heard the voice of his enemies in
the glen below him; and sprnging from
crag to crag, he circled the rocky knell,
and planted his foot at the roots of a
blasted oak that shot its limbs above
the cavern, just as his wife had reach
ed the spot, and pressing her babe 10
her bosom, sank exhausted among the
flowers that waved in the moist breath
of the cave. 1t chanced that at that
very instant his pursuers had paused
beneath the opposite side of the knoll,
from whose broken surface the foot of
the flying Indian had disengaged stone
which, cracking along the branches,
found its way through slight ravine
into the glen below. The two French
men stood in doubt for moment. The
muskateer, pointing in the direction
whence the stone had rolled, turned to
receive the order of his officer
The chevalier, who had made one
step in advance ofa broad rock between
them, leaned upon it, pistol in hand
half turning towards bis follower: while
the scout, who stood farthest out from
the steep bank, bending forward TO
discover the mouth of the cave, must
have caught a glimpse Of the sinking
] female, Just as the shadow form of her
husband was displayed above her. God
help thee now, bold archer thy quiver
is empty; thy game Of life is nearly up;
and thy scalp,lock, whose plumes now
hutter in the breeze, will soon be twin.
ed in the figures Of the vengetul rene>
gade. Thy wife-But hold! the noble
savage has one arrow left d.
! Disabled, as he thought himself. the
Mohawk had not dropped his bow in
! his flight. His last arrow was still
4 griped in his bleeding fingers; and tho
his stiffened thumb forebore the use Of
it to the best advantage, the hand Of
|,Kiadago had not lost its power. The
crisis which it takes SO long to des-
4 cribe, had been realized by him in an
instant. He saw how the Frenchmen,
inexperienced in woodcraft, were at
fault: he saw.too, how the keen eye Of
them had caught sight ofthe object Of
IL Al. la