The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-05-20


fore us. With shout that made those tam
gled arches SILVER again, we all followed
him. The wild whrl Of maddening excite
ment was beyond any description. The men
fairly slIrieked with the exultation Of savage
JOY. Our horses caught the spirit, and
seemed energized with supernatural
speed, as they fled by the trees so swiftly,
that the trunks seemed to run into each other
and TO form continuous wall. Now and
then through wider opening before us, we
would get full, but monentnry view of tho
spotted horses ofthe foe strealiing across it,
Then such a burst of shouting from the
men
In this way the chase had continued for
several miles, without lessening materially
the distance between us, and we were begin
ming to fear that our horses would fail us
even, when the old man, pointing ahead,
laughed out with the exultalion of tiend
and, as we swept past the object saw II
was horse of one of the warriors that had
dropped dead from exhaustion. How the
men yelled at this sight.
Their horses were giving ont, and we were
sure of them Auother and yet another
laid by the trail / saw one Of the warriors,
on foot, running off through the woods! But
on on never mind him the main body is
before
Suddenly we burst upon the dazzling light
of the prairie. There they are. The whole
body of them, within a quarter of mile,
strung winding along the deep grass like a
great snake.
The clamor pursuing wolves never SCUM
ded more terrible TO a herd of exhausted deer
than did our shout to those frightened thieves.
See, how they look behind They are un-
certain what to do.
Ha they make to the timber again. The
rapid tramp of the avengers tread turns too.
They are panic-stricken. The old man, with
the unearthIy widness of his mien, looks en-
ough like phantom of wrath to strike an
army with terror. They rush TO the edge of
the timber, and throw themselves in frantic
hurry from their horses backs-some head
foremost.
We too, having dismounted quicker than
thought, the black tubes are ranged, and the
platoon hurls Il leaden hail among them be-
fore they reach the trees. Such staggering
and tumbing but not sound from them
With dubbed guns we rushed after the old
man in the timber; and now the struggle is
hand TO band, and loot 10 foot, with the 1.-THE,
desperate wretches.
They turned at bay moment behind the
covert ofthe trunks; but the fury ofour charge
overbears every thing. For a moment the
rustic of struggling feet, the dull ring of
crushing blows, the low groan and heavy fall
are the only sounds that break the awful ST.
lence; and the peal of our victorious shouts
procluims that they are flying.
The pursuit is continued for some distance
but they are too swift for us and one after
another of the members ofthe scattered par
", painting and exhausted make their APP
pearance on the prairie.
"The children! the children Have they
been seen?' | shouted.
'.Ilere they are - replied deep voice from
some distance in the woods.
We all ran in 81 and never shall forget the
scene. AT the foot of u large tree the old
man was bending over his boy, who had
been pierced by the lance of Camanche,
and lay pleading for water, wreathing like
trodden worm. Little Mary, with large blue,
fearless eyes, that looked as if they would
never wink again, stood by him, holding his
land. The shattered and bloody gun ofthe
old man lay OH the ground by him, while his
nearest neighbor, a tall, powerful man, stood
off, in respect for the sacredness of grief, ga
zing upon the group with dimmed eyes.
There was long pause. The old man
looked up with bood-shot eyes, saying,
"Water, men! Water water!"
We had all been so much shocked by the
scene as to have lost our presence of mind
for the moment but instantly, as he spoke, n
dozen men sprang off and ran TO where our
horses had been left for their water gourds.
The boy grasped one with a furnished ca
gerness it is impossible to convey, and drank
copiously. In moment the color began TO
return to his lips, and light to his gazing
eyes.
This convinced me that his wound was not
so desperate as we had feared. No one had
examined it for there was the lance leaning
against the tree, with the red stain upon It's
blade for several inches and that, we thought
was conclusive enough.
AS / was stopping to battle his teverlsh
temples, and cxarnine the wound, little Molly
turned her quiet eye upon my face, and SAID,
with u solemn innocence that thrilled me
strangely. "The bad Injuns wouldn'! kill
me !" as if she felt that grevous injustice had
been done in selecting Johnny instead other.
could not resist catching the little creature
in my arms and kissing her, while the hot
tears burned over my lips at this touching ex-
hibition OF forgetfuIness of self in the sisters
love.
On examination. the wound looked bad
enough 10 be sure There was nothing for
it. however, but to prepare a litter and get
him home. This The men soon did with
twigs and buffalo robes which the Indians had
thrown away, together with all their arms,in
the flight
Poor little boy his plaintive means were
very distressing. The rudest OF the men,
with all the flush offght upon them, seemed
to be- greatly moved aud gentle Molly was
carried with as considerate tenderness as IT
the crowns of all the world had been her her
itage. Strange, incongruous animal is man
We were stepping over the corpses OF the
SHIN. A few minutes before, these men had