Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-08-31

LelampOn spec INTO the liut. lie stopped
not totel the tragic fate Of Fannuil, but shout
ing to Murdant and Mike, few to the other
end of the cabin. Now commenced a scene
Of bioodshed which it is terrible to contem
plate. At every fire from within the Hut,
four or five Indians would fall, instantly
killed The gun Of Mike did vast exeeu-
ton and the rifles of Murdant and Delamp-
on kept up an incessant fire and with, as
founding effect. No less than thirteen saw
ages fell by their hands in the short space
Of five minutes.
The Indians, as if led on by some intern
al leader would not yield an inch and fought
bravcr than before. But they could not
stand against such CALLING fire. Flesh and
blood could not bear it. The red skins knew
(and o-then. sorroy1 fraaa=tEle. 6rirgof. the
guns inside the Hut, that they had injured
no one, and after holding ON litsle longer,
they broke and fed over the palisades in
terror-stricken panic. Some three or four
fingered behind but Mike, regardless Of the
command of Murdant, dashed out with his
shillelah and quickly put them to fight;
and when he was about to return, he cot an
arrow stuck into his arm for his trouble
The wound however was triAing and after
few moments occupied in dressing his
arm, the brave fellow was on duty again.
| As soon as the savages were gone, Del
ampon and Mike issued from the Hut and
drew in the dead bodies of Fannuil and the
Indian who had slain him. When the light
within fell on the corpse of the latter, now
stark and cold in death, Delampon uttered
cry of anguish, and exclaimed The RAT
TLEsNAKE, by the Holy Manitou, and stoop-
ing down, lie shed tears of bitterness over
the face of the dead. The savage, who was
evidently, from various ornaments and trink-
ets a chief, was indeed none other than
! the Rattlesnake, whom we introduced in
the second Chapter. lie followed not the
advice of Delampon and died. The old
warrior then arose and told them in few
brief words, of the willfulness, rashness and
bloodthirstiness of the dead chief before
them, of whose tribe he (Delampon) was.
Turning to the corpse Of Fannuil, Muir
dant moved his vest to see if he had been
shot in the breast, and what was his surprise
to see a large empty bottle roll out. The
secret Of his death was now apparent he
) had carried out the bottle, klled with brandy
and after swiling it all, was in few mo-
ments beastly drunk. = 'Tis needless
to attempt to portray the anguish and grief
) of the mother and daughter as the sad news
was communicated to them. They would
not have borne their sorrow so poignantly,
! had Fannuil, the father and husband, fallen
fighting bravely in defence of his wife and
child, but to be Killed and scafped py an
} Indian while he was under the influence Of
: strong drink, and not prepared to meet death
4 in any way, the thought was horrible, and
y as it again and again required to the minds
e Of the mother and daughter, the streams of
, sorrow and relief to their pent up misery,
4 would fow afresh The bodies Of both were
y carefully laid out the red man against his
+ bitterest enemy. bothn now sleeping in death
, and then the three surviving defenders O
n the Hut returned to their posts.
y The Indians had collected again in front
;, and twas evident that another attack wa
it designed upon the Hut. Murdant had beer
1t on his post some ten minutes, when he wai
st surprised to see the aged Delampon come
IS towards him and stop. What now !" ask
e ed Marlant are they again coming 3
d No-but large, big reeds, have you got
o Yes | think 50 but why p what, in tn
name Of all that's useful, do you want witt
1 reeds 2 We'll, White Warrior, me tell yor
ut You know Indian no shoot gun-know fo
in what arms are, but have no fire arms. In
IL dian fraid of the Great Manitou. Fill rec
,ir with powder-sct fire. The reed fly mon
st Indians, they think it Manitou, and run
ve And the countenance Of the old savag
be worked pleasantly as he delivered himse
Sc of his idea. A very plausible proposition
nd truly exclaimed Murdant, : if we can thu
ed act on their fears 'Thep whar reeds p
ed Here answered Murdant, and he polnte
as in his room where several large canes wer
RS Delampon soon procured the desired article
ly came out, and leaving his post under tt
he supervision of Biddy armed with her san
it pistol, he proceeded to fill the reeds, aft
&c cutting them off the proper lengths, alwa,
of leaving a joint, with first wet and then dl
i'd powder, for about two inches then pourir
on oil on heap Of powder, he crammed Il
IDS tubes tight with the mixture. After fillir
lry them he took string and made mate
nd which he attached to the tube in come
'r's ton with the powder. In this manner
the made three, and when lie had fnisho
hat placed one in the hands Of each young ma
sty who were astoundeG at his intelligence al
he taking a light he carried it to the doc
s it then setting fire to the string he hurled t
sly rocket toward the Indians, aad before touc
he ing the ground, the powder catching fire,
sht shot far up,in slanting direction, with hi
for ing noise, and when nearly over the he
OF of the startled savages it circled arou
ger several times and bursted with tcrriI
but noise. The Indians had watched the sins
nth lar appearance of the ball of fire, and W.
lest evidently alarmed, from their quick int
the jections. And as the rockets Of Murd;
me and Mike, fred equally successfully as D
his ampOns 5, bursted again over their hea
my they Immediately turned and fed like ST
tied deer. 1t closed the last battle the
the tiers ever had at the Hut.
j, to
, he CHAPTER XVL-C6NcLUsIox
rate The ensuing morning broke clear and
ring clouded on scene too horrible to contC
on plate. The sward in front of the hut,