The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-06-30


upon though such as was but too familiar to the eyes
Of the frontier settler Half stunned with tho sudden
Ievulson oC all his feelings, it long before he
could collect his faculties far as to satisfy himself
that only tro of the inmates of the house lay among
the ruins. There was one lei and no trace Of her
fate remained; though far Off tho noa; little
garden, with the flowers whose care had amused her
in her solitude.
As Endicott stood gazing the dosontion,a group
Of their sinewy men. armed each with his rife, and
more than orthem bearing the hnggard look Of
misery, waded across the stream. They from
the hamlet below, which had not escaped tho savage
inroud. They stood and looked tho ruins md on
each other. without saving word. One of them at
length broke the silence while all his white features
quivered between agony and vndictve fury, and his
wandering gray eye became for the moment fixed and
kndled like a coal oC Ere His words were bitter
curse against the authors Of the Internal outrage and
VOW to hunt them like beasts till he had avenged
it; and he concluded he struck the butt of his gun
against tho ground, and oath not 10 be writ
down. Ills wife and all his children lay dead in
the ashes OF his cabin.
will suffer the reader TO lose sight or my ances-
tor for day two. and will present him again to
his notice in different place, and under different
light and careless interest was the only feeling in his
heart towards the rair eclnsei but the sudden shock
that had almos, deadened his faculties had awakened
in him spirit of resoIute devotion. lie had deter
mined to recover this prisoner from tho Indians
though he should follow her to Canada, and the
gauntlet of a thousand dangers. His comyauion4
were of different temper. They burned one and
all, for vengeance, and cared for nothing else. In
ri 4 a r
On the night of the Indian attack, they absent
in the forest, building house, according to frontier
custom for a married couple; aud chose 10 re-
main for merry making the Of their abors,
I rather than return 10 their homes. No shadow OF
danger was apprehended. Two three remain
! ed at home, OF whom escaped the massacre, the
rest. with half the and children Of the settle
ment, found dead in the morning. Tho sava-
ges took prisoner but Sarah, whose beauty, may
| be, snved her from the Ratchet.
Reader these scenes arc rude and savage ;repulsyc
doubt, to the taste Of literary epcures, and les.
the trangcendental 'sprualliss' who nfest ihs
city OF Boston. Highly Aattercd should | be If my
humble narrative should be honored with their con-
demnalion and yet to win the smiles of larger and
fairor portion of the readers OF OLD KNIcK, would
gladly make this history smooth and attractive
But the rough and bold feutures of tho original viii
lose all resemblance i'll try to soften them the can
vass; and inexperienced and nnskful painter i:
douby bound in interest as we'll as conscience TO be
faithful.
Ono day toward nght-fall, Endicou with the band
Of pursers to the banks Of a lake. It u apo,
| whose charms have engaged pen far nbler than
mine and should America become prolific in po-
cts Md romance wrers,are destined to engage many
more; for il was the southern shore Of Jake George
Al the time Of which speak il was known by 9TH
er name than that OF Lac ST. Sacrament given by
the French in reference TO ts consecraled waters Ii
was as yet a lonely wilderness OF mountains and
foods which had then borne armies their hos
om its rocks and forests had echoed the blast Of
the trumpet, the roaring Of the cannon, the sharp
,inrlng report of the rife The spot the party chose
for their cneampmcni was ,hehish bank among the
spruces and hemocks,a little to the right Of the place
where Baron DiesSau was afterward defeated, and
! the garrison Of For. William Henry matched out to
their massacre. All was covered with the
dense woods l shall be spared the modification oil
attempting portray the wild beauties of the scene
as they were invisible on the evening when my ances
tor encamped there; drizzIng rain descended, and
drearv mists obscured the mountains tho leaden wa
te.e, ana tne du gripping iofesW' EAH ehO''HPe'' "
the woods a, such time, after toilsome dny''
journey, without tent or other shelter, is not Tho
I most pleasant situation in the world The party
were drenched to the skin. They laid down thei
packs, and covered their guns with bark stripped from
the trees ate silent and slender repast duly quail
fed with New England RIM, aud then debated as Il
the course TO be pursued.
They wero confident thai the Indians, on their wa!
to Canada, would take was usual, the circnitou
route of Wood Creek, instead OF lake St. Sacrament
where they would be impsded by portage of sever
al miles at the northern extremity. BY pushing thei
way rapidly up the Hudson. and across the ntervenin
land to the lake, they had no doubt that they ha'
outsiripped the slow progress of their enemy, wit
were struggling nothwad through the forests arihe
to the east. Their plan was TO pass down lake 81
Sacrament TO Ticonderoga, and there lie IN AMBUSH
TO waylay the Indians as they came in their canoe
ON, of Wood Creek. Ticonderoga was not then
fort, brstng with cannon, TO command The marrow
straits around it, though it had borne from time i'm
memorial it's present name.whch Is an lroquois WORD
- of, ba aia Nn Tho