The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-02-23
J OF PREN TENG.
From The Autobiography off, B. FuHcI
THE TIVE SPIES,

THE TWO SPIES.
As early as the year 1890 the block
house and stockade above the mouth o
the locking river, was a frontier pos
for the hardy pioneer of the North west
ern Territory. There nature was in hci
undisturbed livery of dark and thicE
forests, intcrSpersed with green and flow.
ing prairies. Then the forest had moi
heard the sound of the woodlands axe
nor the plow of the husbandman opened
The bosom of the earth Then those
beautiful praiFcs waved their golden
bloom to the God of Nature; and among
the most luxurant OF these were those
which lay along the Iockhocking Valley,
and especially that portion Of it on which
the town OF Lancaster now stands. This
place, for its beauty, It's richness of soil,
and picturesque scenery, was selected for
the location of an Indian village. This
afforded a suitable place for the gambol
of the Indian sportsmen, as well as CEN
trail spot for concentrating the Indian
warriors.
Here the tribes of the North and West
met to counsel, and led forth the war
path in different directions. Upon one
of these occasions, when the war spirit
moved nightly among the sons Of Ma
ture, and the tomahawk leaped in its
scabbard, and the spirits of their friends,
who had died in the field of battle, visit
cd the warrior in bis night visions and
called loudly for revenge, it was ascer-
tanned at the garrison above Che mouth of
the Hockhocking river, that the Indians
were gathering in great numbers for the
purpose of striking the blow on some post
Of the frontiers. TO meet this crisis two
of the most skilled and indefatjgablc spies
were despatched to watch their move
nents and report,
M'Cleland and White, two spirits that
never quailed at danger; and as uncon-
qucrablc as the Lybian lion, in the month
of October, and Oh one Of the balmy days
Of Indian summer. took leave of their
fellows and moved on through the thick
plum and hazel bushes with the noiseless
tread Of panthers, armed with their un-
erring rifles. They continued their
march, skirting the prairies, till they
reached that mostrenarkable prominence,
now known by the name of Mount Pleas
ant, the western termination of which is
Il perpendicular cliff Of rocks of some
hundreds Of feet high, and whose sum-
init, from a western view, towers to the
clouds and overlooks the plains below
When this point was gained, our hardy
spies held a position from which they
could see every movement Of the Indians
below in the valley.
Every day added new accession of
warriors to the company They witnes-
sed their exercises OF horse racing, run
ming foot races, jumping, throwing the
tomahawk and dancing; the old sachems
looking on with their Indian Indifference,
the squawS engaged in their usual drug
gerry, and the children engaged in their
playful gambols The arrival of a new
warrior was greeted with terrible shouts,
which, striking the mural face of Mount
Pleasant, were driven back in the various
indcntations Of the surrounding hills pro
ducing reverberationS and echoes as if
ten thousand fcuds were gathered at a
universal levee. Such yells would have
struck terror to the hearts Of those unac-
customcd to Indian reyclry.
To our spies this was but martial mu-
sic-strains which walked their watchful-
ness, and newly strung their veteran
courage. From their early youth they
had always been on the frontier, and were
we'll practised in all the subtility, craft
and cunning of Indian warfare, as well
as the ferocity and blood thirsty nature
Of these savage warriors. They were,
therefore, not likely to be ensnared by
thcir cunning, nor without desperate
conflict, to fall victims to their scalping
knives or tomahawks On several occa-
sions small parties left the prairie and
assembled the mount from the eastern side.
On these occasions the spies would hide in
she deep assures Of the rocks on the west
side, and again leave their hiding places,
when their unlimited and unwelcome yi$- !,
itors had disappeared.
For food they depended on jerked ven
ison and corn bread, with which their
knapsacks were well stored. They dare
not kindle FIRE, and the report of one of
their rifles would have brought upon
them the entire force of the Indians. For
drink they depended on some rain water
which still stood in the hollows of some
of the rocks; but in a short time this store
was exhausted; and M'Cleland and White
must abandon their enterprise or find
new supply. TO accomplish this most
hazardous enterprise, MCleland, being
the oldest, resolved to make this attempt;