Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-12-20
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN

The skates were produced; the eager
Colonel tied them on: and then, swearing
a dreadful oath that he would bring back
the preachers scalp, or leave his own he
began the perlous chase. Oh, there is no
daring like the courage inspired by the pas
sion for revenge.
In the meanwhile, Mills had approached
the farther shore, when he discovered arm
ed men on the bank. He knew at glance
what it meant. The mob, to prevent any
ofthe Mormons from escaping, had station
ed guard beyond the river. He instantly
turned his course down the stream, when
whole platoon let off their rifles, but the dis
lance was too considerable A hail ofbuI-
lets ratified around him on the ice without
injury.
Il will foil the fends yet" he said to
himself, and put forth all his speed. Mills
flew away, when he became conscious that
some one was pursuing him. He slacken-
ed his velocity, and gradually wheeled a.
bout to obtain view of his enemy. But
But the latter was still too remote for an
accurate survey, and the Mormon uttered
aloud mad prayer" God grant me that
it be Col. Turk, and | am willing to die !"
On rushed the pursuer-on, still on, like
an avalanche. The noise of his iron skates
could be heard above the roar Of the nor
thern blast, and his dark form loomed in
the glitering moonbeams, large in stature
as giant. As he drew nearer, the young
preacher smiled venomously. He recog-
nized the arch-persecutor, COL Turk, and
he laughed outright laugh that rung over
the frozen river like the wild scott of some
demon, when he saw the other unsheath
his cleaning knife. Mills then immed-
ately pulled his own from its scabbard, and
started off, so as to avoid the coming shock,
which might otherwise prove fatal, by the
mee force of the collision, to both.
And then began a series Of rapid and
cunning evolutlons to secure the advantage
in this new method of combat the most
terrible ever conceived. They marked the
smooth surface of the ice with circles, clip
SEES, angles, squares, parallelograms, and
almost every possible figure of plain geom,
etry; but each seemed perfect skater.
and could not find the other at fault, or
take him unprepared. They passed repeat
eddy within three feet of each other, and
made quick thrusts which pierced to the
bone! And still the cold grew more ill
tense, and the wrathful wind howIed on,
while their manpuvres and flights somehow
carried them farther down the river, where
the crusled ice was thinner, and cracked
Icariully beneath their tread.
Finally, the Mormon took the desperate
resolve to terminate the strife by sacrificing
his own life so as to make sure Of that of
his foe at the same tim. In the following
rush he no longer turned aside to avoide
a direct collisio, and frustrated the tempt
of the yncher to that end by sweryng
slightly inward from right line
They met at full speed, and the shock
was like that of the crush OF adverse com
cts AT the moment of their fall the quak-
'RE iSe SPLIT 9eneath their weight with
and Kissing like hell, swallowed them TOR
ever-the prosecutor and his victim, both
victims now
But the river still rolled on its way to the
sen; the stars all shone as bright and beau-
tiful as of old in the morning of creation,
when the angels Of God chaunted their
birth song; and the wrathful wind Of win
ter howled on over the city grave of the
enemies no more Sunday Times.