Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-07-03

| had he saved the life of his superior officer.
when the upliftcd tomahawk glittered with
the fearful expectation of its victims blood.
He had enlisted in the service year previous,
as private; and although promotion to the
rank of non-commissioned officer had been
offered him on account of his good qualities
as soldier and intelligence as man, he had
refused its acceptance; declaring that, as his
only desire WIS to serve his country, he was
willing to serve through the war as private,
leaving all conditions above that to soldiers
more competent and more ambitious. He
was the son of respectable farmer, whose
industry had enabled him to raise up and re-
specially educate large family-a man of
severe discipline, whose watchful eye detected
youthful faults in time to prevent their ma
turing to crimes. He had been intimate with
the family of the Zanes, and, when Ashley
expressed desire to enlist, the old man easi-
lv prevailed upon Col. Silas TO enrol him
among his own men.
Now we will not pretend to say that there
had been any particular understanding be-
tween Miss Elizabeth and the young gentle
man above spoken of previous to his bccom-
ing soldier though such thing might pos
sibly have been in mute way. Verbal de-
clarations certainly had not been made: for
an owl told how, one moonlight evening,
while he was sitting in the shady branches
| Of chesnut that stood but few yards from
the fort,
-"Considcring as well he might,
Ways and means for supper that night"
he looked about with solemn scowl, and be-
held coming from the shadow of the fort a
lover and his mistress-he knew it was a
lover and his mistress, they spoke so tender
ly to one another.
They came out from the fort stealthily,
and stole softly over the green sward to the
foot of the chcsnut, and sitting down upon
one of the knarled roots, said kind things, ut
tered sacred vows, and breathed fervent sighs
one to the other. They sat there an hour
good hour by the march of Saturn-talking
and sighing all the while, when, calling upon
all the stars to witness their oaths, and seal
ing their yowswit thsa; kiss, they're .fs.ss
Hswass but n short time after this occur
renee that the seigei of Wheeling was COM
menced by the British and Indians; and al
though the place was defended with zeal and
m united amount of courage, the hopes of
the beseigcd grew somewhat dim as they
looked forth upon the masses that surround
ed them. A scarcity Of provisions was not
what alarmed them, for of those at present
they had sufficient supply; but alarm be-
came almost CONSERVATION when was an
nounced, on the second day of the seige, that
their powder was short. Several desperate
assaults had been made by the enemy to
break into the fort, but Colonel Zane and
his men rcpulscd and drove them back as
vigorously as thev assaulted. The Indians
on two or three occasions attempted the des-
truction of the fort and block-house by fra;
but in each IFS 'ancc they were shot down ere
tic faggot and the burning brand could be
applied. But ultimately those in the fort
began to fail in their hopes Of successful
defence, when the word was passed around
that they were in the possession of few
charges ofpowder only. There was an abund-
ant supply in the blcck-house, which they
had been prevented from removing by the
suddenness of the assault; but how WAS it
to be gotten now? Surrounded by the most
invcteratc of foes, what possible method
could be adopted to procure them supply
Of ammunition? Their condition must be
known to the enemy the moment their fires
slackencd, and then they could easily be de-
stroycd without the least show of defence.
The second day the scigc had well nigh
worn away--it was in the middle of the af-
tcrnoon. The last shot had been fred-the
last gr in of powder was exhausted. Now,
what was to be done! Make terms of capi-
tulation, or despairing, submit to fate! They
in the block house still held out brarely, and
little concert Of action might save them,
for the enemy already began to show symp-
toms of wavcring At this crises Colonel
Zane called his men around him, and after
describing to them the situation in which
they were placed, he desired to know if there
was any one among them desperate enough
to attempt passage through the enemy to
the block-housc. He added that it was in
deed forlorn hope, but at the worst could
not remain in their present condition. No
answer followed the appeal. The men gazed
at their commander and into the eyes of each
other with the most complete despair, and
with faces blank with any ray of hope, Eliza
beth stood by the side of her brother, silent;
but that silcEce was more eloquent than the
words of the Colonel. Perhaps, though, a
slight pang might have flutterci her pulse to
hear no one speak. Was there not one brave
enough to peril life for the salvation of the
whole? Ammunition was all that was want
ad One ker of powder, and they were free