The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1845-08-14

talked hopefully. sull boarsa Of Ghs .sll-
var lining" which "a. o. shine oui Of the
dark cio0d shai hovsred over their drsii.
nies; boz hes hearl sss heavy within Der.
and her bnghi syss wsn ohsn dimnsd
siih Tears.
IL sas winter. and heavy rsins bad De.
LUCID The country. The los house % The
M'Leods Vas surosndsd BY mud and
ssi gas; and shen. one eold. bleak
morning Mora opened her dsnr. and O.
zed fur . moment sbrosd, the gloomy
prospeci struck chill into hsr heart. A
keen norlherlY wind WAS blosins fierce
shd strong; it came howlias through The
trees. and scattering The fallen leaves INFO
her face. Morn had no, been IN bed do.
fins The previous night; alarm fos her hus-
band. and The care which his illness mo-
neaIaIily required nd sfofdsd ample sm.
plOymsni both Cor mind and body. % q
sudden she heard his voics calling her
name. IL appeared 10 her thai he spoke
IN stronger tone. and she fastened 10
hn bedside full Of hope. Alas! for her.
She saw his eye lighIed up BY dslrious
lever. end 10 her terror, perceived thar res
son had deserted ils throne!
With the strength lent By the fierce fs-
yer TIA, ragged within his veins, he raised
himself from his bed. and sss sith diff
Guilty restrained from rushing ioa ards The
door. His actions wers Vi lent, and he
hssped bitter impreca,ions upon her and
upon his child.
AZ This moment sound foil Of horror
struck upon the mo.her's ear. There ives
sudden shrek, and then The fearful
shouts Of fiity savage soiees tursI loudly
land suddenly forth, startling the echoes
for miles around. Ard well did Nara re-
!cogniss he feeble cry che heard. I, vas
The soice Of her little jamie Who had been
playing in the garden. in unconscious
'glse. Quicker than thought, she sprsng
/; 10 the d"or, and gsz"d distraciedly on the
iscene before her. Her darling wss in the
hands Of ths Indians, Of Indians. too.
whose aspect was totally unknown to her.
Ia moment she guessed the truth, and
that the dreaded Camanchess we're upon
them! In vain she struggled TO free him;
in vain did the child hold up his little
hands, and implore help from her, who
never yet had been deaf 10 his prayers.
0ERaalgS . .aag9s sh Z. ss. 'i Ssi
before bis mothers eyes, and while che
was foreibly held back, the scalpiug knife
did lis revolving office! The brish, sun.
ny cUrls were hung at The bel, Of The saw
age Who performed the deed, while the
boy IVES flung palpita,ing, and barely pos
sessed OF life. OF the feet oil his parent.
| IL Was nov Nors's ,urn 10 suffer. snt
another of these relentless ssvsges speed.
ly seized hold Of his now untesisting vic.
tim. Another moment would have deci.
ded her late, when the arm Of her enemy
was arrested by the appearance Of new
actor on the scene; esunt form, who.
wi,houta any previous warning, approach.
cd The group, and attracted the attention
| Of I'll.
Il was M'Leod, whose wild rawlings
could not be restrained, aud who, with
delirIous Inconsistencies Of his danger,
slslked 10 amongst them. HE wild &C.
tians and strange gestures, sufficiently at
tested the wandering Of bis mind, and The
Indians stood appalled,. Tall warriors in
their fierce war.painl bent their heads rev.
eren,ly before him; and impressed with
the notion Of his being inspired. and acting
under The especial projection Of the Greas
Spirit, these untsmed and revengeful chill.
dren of the forest shrsnk awe-shuck from
his presence.
Slowly and in silence they re,reaied,
and ere another minute bad elapsed. Nora
was left alone with the husband who had
90 unconsciously saved her.
On the ground. on The very spo, where
he had so lately played in childish glee,
lay the bleeding body IF The dying child.
Who can describe the feelings Of The
mother. a. lifting him in her atms, she
tried TO hope tina, the outrage he had un-
derpone would not prove mortal irju-
ry.* Gently and tenderly she LAID him
on his little bed. and then. and not ill then.
did she return TO her painful task ofsooth-
ing and quis'ing the insaIed. With gen.
tie words she persuaded hlm To return to
his bed, but even then she could no, leave
him for moment.
At intervals she heard the faint and
feeble moan of her suffering child. bu.
though the mothers hear. was torn With.
in her, she could not desert her post.
Towards the evening the sick man be-
came more composed. his rsv'ngs sud-
denly ceased. his eyes closed. and a
death!,ke calm spread over his features.
Nora listened, but 10 vain for bis breath
| ing. she fell that he was dead. and that
she was alone; she did no. weep. how
ever. but "a, in q s,ale Of stupid insensi-
bility. She was reused from This trance
Of despair, BY sound. small andlo~; but
II fear such instances Of savage atrocity were
not rare among the earlier settlers; on the Mexi-
can frontier especially, and on the northern SET
Elements, where the cruel tribe THE Camanchees
have so much power, such horrid events are mat