The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-11-28

l hre.
The Rocks had heard of such thing,
but they stood amazed at the very thought.
But Snow left them no time for reflection.
The concealed Indians finding themselves
| discovered leaped into their saddles, and
bore down upon them. But they remain
| ed unnoticed. The three fugitives were
buslly engaged. They had placed their
powder TASKS out of the reach Of fire;
they had wrapped their rifles in strips Of
| their torn up cloaks; and then having care
fully aud tightly bound their own clothes.
they tied bandages over the eyes and
nos,rils of the horses. They then noun
ted again, the Indians being close upon
them, and then made for the rampant OF
smoke and fame that lay between them
and life.
The line OF fire was about three miles
long. The prairie, composed of reeds and
grass, damp withrecent rains, did not burn
with that lightning-like rapidity which
leaves no chance of escape. 1t burned
quickly, but steadily, and Captain Snow
remarked that in some places smoke pIe-
dominated over fame. Just before them
lofty clump of bushes burnt high and
brightly, but to the left of this thick
black smoke seemed to indicate swami
| py expanse where the fire had less pur-
chase. They were moving rapidly, the
Indians not two hundred yards behind
them, along the line of fame, and the Ca
manches were yelling with delight
They gained ground every minute on the
| fugilives, and saw no chance of escape for
them.
Close your eyes and follow" suddenly
cried Captain Snow, seizing the bride of
Mary's horse, and plunging headlong into
| the thick smoke of the smoulde ring
swamp. The atmosphere which for
long time had been oppressive. now be
came absolutely sulTocating. TIE noise
was Internal. Cracking reeds. kissing
damp bushes, flaming grass. black va
por that choked and backened. was all
| that they co4ild distinguish, with seass
| OF intense hea:, and then a black plain,
covered with charred wood, with smoul-
dering heaps ofcharcoal lay before them.
| They had passed with the least possible
amount ofinjury. a few burns, scorch-
ing sense Of thirst, faces as black as ne
| groes, was all that had ensued from I his
desperate and daring act. Snow pressed
! the hand of Mary IN silence, and then ex-
amined the horses. They were irrepara-
! bly, lost. Their legs had suffered burns,
which would render much farther journey :
/ ing impossible; but they were comp eled,
despite their frlghtful state. to urge them
on again at their fullest speed.
A howl, that Snow knew too well warn
ed him of new danger. The savage
wolves of the mountains were upon them
in vast droves. The animals follow prairie
fire i'll search of carcasses of deer. turkeys,
rabbits, hares, &c., THAT perish in the
! flames. and collected in such force, be-
come formidable. The wretched horses
;nstinctively darted away, & the fugitive
band made for a wood about FIVE miles off,
which had been spared from the fire, the
grass near the trees being too damp and
too short to burn. AS .hey rode they loos-
ened rifles and pistols, and took their hugh
/ powder horns from the many swaths
which had protected them. Several
/ times they halted and fired a. the furious
be as is which to the number of about fou T
hundred came On behind them. Their sho,s
told, and general halt showed that caiotoe
were engaged in devouring their urlucky
companions. At length the wood was
reached and while by general discharge
they for an instant checked the advance
/ ofthe hungry brutes, Mary climbed a tree,
{ took up the arms. provisions and other
traps, and was then followed by the
weary men. The horses galloped away,
and became Instantly prey to the saw
age white wolves.
1t required an hour of absolute repose
to ena Bile the fugitives to talk over their
position. They then ate and drank and
smoked In silence for another half hour,
when all were sufficiently recovered TO
hold a council. The wolves were howl
ing around the tree. which was lofty and
and seemed determined not to abandon
their prey. But the backwood trio laugh
ed at them. Their chief concern was
the loss of their poor horses, and the pros
pect of a tramp home. They were now
pretty secure from the Indians, who be-
lieved them to have perished in. the
flames, and who would chose a road re-
moved from the track of the conaagra>
| tion.
They spoke some time in low tone,
until the howlng Of the wolves became
lntolerable, and Captain Snow and young
Rock resolved TO rid themselves of the
nuisance. They descended TO the lower
branches OF The trees and looked down.
A fearful yell from hundred throats
greeted them; and the aspect of the long
! hanging tongues. fierce eyes and savage
iteeth oi SO many animals, would have