Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-06-13

leaped through the stream aud ran up TO the
wretched pile ofruns. One glance told him
the story, quenched his gay spirit, and left
him frozen with speechless horror. The In
dams from Canada had been there the night
before His quick eye dscerned among
the charred iimbers, the relics Of the old
man and his wife--a sight will not dwell
upon, though such as was but too familiar
10 the eyes of the frontier settler. Half
stunned with the sudden revulsion Of all his
feelings, it was long before he could collect
his faculties so far as 10 satisfy himself that
only tnO Of the inmates Of the house lay
among the ruins There was one left, and
no trace of her fate remained though not
far off was the neat little garden, with the
flowers whose care had amused her in her
solitude.
As Endicott stood gazing on the desola-
ton, group of their sinewy men. armed
each with his rifle. and more than one of
them bearing the haggard look of misery,
waded across the stream. They were from
the hamlet below, which had not escaped
the savage inroad. They stood and looked
on the ruins and on each other, without say
ing word. One Of them at length broke
the silence, while all his white features qnv-
cred between agony and vindctive fury, and
his wandering gray eye became for the mo-
ment fixed and kindled like coal Of fire
His words were bitter curse against the
authors of the internal outrage, aud VOW
to hunt them like beasts till he had avenged
it; and as he concluded, he struck the butt
of his gun against the ground, and swore an
oath not TO be written down. His wife
and all his children lay dead in the ashes of
his cabin.
! will suffer the reader 10 lose sight Of my
ancestor for day or two, aud will present
him again to his notice in different place,
and under different circumstances. Before
his last visit TO the valley, light and care
less interest was the only feeling in his heart
toward the fair recluse; but the sudden
shock that had almost deadened his facul-
ties had awakened in him spirit of reso.
lutte devotion. He had determined to re-
cover this prisoner from the Indians, though
he should follow her TO Canada, and run the
gauntlet Of a thousand dangers. His COM
panions were of Il different temper They
burned, one and all, for vengeance, and cared
for nothing else. Indeed several of them
had nothing else left TO care for On the
night of the Indian attack, they were alb
sent in the forest, building house, accord
ing to frontier custom, for new-married
couple; and chose to remain for merry
making on the scene of their labors, rather
than return to their homes. No shadow OF
danger was apprehended Two OF three
men remained at home, of whom one escap-
ed the massacre; the rest, with half the wo-
men and children of The settlement, were
found dead in the morning. The sayages
took no prisoner but Sarah, whose beauty, il
may be, saved her from the Ratchet.
Reader, these scenes are rude and savage /:
repusIve, no doubt, TO the taste of literary
eplcures, and no less so to the transcenden-
tai 's2iritualsts' who nlest this city Of Bos-
ton. Highly lattered should | be If my
humble narrative should be honored with
their condemnation; and yet, TO win the
smiles of larger and fairer portion of the
readers Of OLD KNIcK, would gladly make
this history more smooth and attractive
But the rough and bold features of the
original will lose all resemblance if try
to soften them on the canvass; and an mex
perienced and an unskilful painter is doubly
bound, in interest as well as conscience, to
be faithful.
One day, toward night-fall, Endicott with
the band of pursuers came to the banks Of a
| lake. 1t was a spot whose charms have en-
gagged pen far ADLER than mine, and should
America ever become prolific in poets and
rOmance-writers, are destined TO engage ma
nv more; for it was the southern shore OF
lake George. At the time of which speak
| it was known by no other name than that OF
Lac st Sacrament, given il by the French in
! reference to It's consecrated waters. Ii was
as yet lonely wilderness of mountains and
floods, which had not then borne armies on
their bosom its rocks and forests had not
echoed the blast ofthe trumpet, the roaring
of the cannon, nor the sharp tinglng report
Of the rifle. The spot the party chose for
their encampment was OIL the high bank,
among the spruces and hemlocks, little TO
the right of the place where Baron Dieskau
was afterward defeated, and the garrison OF
| Fort William Henry marched out 10 their
massacre All was now covered with the
dense woods. | shall be spared the morti6-
cation of attempting 10 portray the wild
| beauties OF the scene as they were invisible
ON the evening when my ancestor en-
camped there drizzling rain descended,
and dreary msts obscured the mountains,
the leaden waters, and the dull dripping for
ests. An encampment in the woods at such
time, after a toisome days journey, with
out tent or other shelter, is not the most
| pleasant situation in the world. The party
were drenched to the skin. They laid down
their packs, and covered their guns with
bark stripped from the trees ate a silent
and slender repast, duly qualified with New
En0Iand rn,n and then debated IA IN the