The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-02-23

III Inc W MS lace, ana SnadlnT the Sigh
Il with his hand, he drew bead so sur
l. that he felt conscious it would do tn
a deed. He touched the trigger, the ham
c mer came down, but in place of striking
d fire, it broke the flint into many pieces
[. and although he felt that the Ind iar
: must reach the rock before he could ad
5 Just another flint, he proceeded to tn,
f task with the utmost composure.
Casting his eyes toward the fearfu
point, suddenly he saw the warrior
: stretching every muscle for the leap; and
: with the agility Of panther he made
the spring, but instead of reaching the
, rock, he gave a yell, and his dark body
) fell and rolled down the steep into the
valley below. lie had evidently received
death wound from some unknown hand.
) a hundred yioccs re-echoed from below
the terrible shout. 1t was evident that
they had lost favorite warrior, as well
as being disappointed for time, of the
most important movement. \ few min
utes proved that the advantage gained
would be of short duration; for alread Y
the spies caught glimpse Of tall swar-
thy warrior cautiously advancing to the
covert so recently occupied by his fellow
companion. Now, too, the attack in
front was renewed with increased fury,so
as to require the incessant fire Of both
spies to prevent the Indians from gaining
the eminence, and in a short time NJ Gle
land saw warrior making preparations
to leap to the fatal rock. The leap was
made, and the Indian turning somer-
set, his corpse rolled down the hill to-
wards his former companion. Again an
unknown hand had interposed in their
behalf. This second sacrifice cast dis
may into the ranks of their assailants,
and just as the sun was disappearing be-
hind the western hills, the foe with drew
to short distance, to devise a new mode
of attack. This respite came most sea-
Sonabl = to our spies, who had kept their
ground, and bravely maintained the un-
equal fight from nearly the middle of the
day.
Now for the first time was the girl mis-
sing, and the spies thought that through
terror she had escaped to her former cap
tors, or that she had been killed during
the fight, but they were not long left to
conjecture. The girl emerging from be-
hind rock and coming towards them
with a rifle in her hand. During the
fight she saw warrior fall, who had ad-
Vanced some distance before the rest, and
while some Of them changed thier position,
she resolved at once, live or die, to pos
sess herself Of his gun and ammunition,
and crouching down beneath the under
brush, she crawled to the place, and sue
ceeded in her enterprise. Her keen and
watchful eye had already noticed the fa-
tai rock, and here was the mysterious
hand by which the two warriors fell, the
last being the most intrepid and blood
thirsty Of the Shawnee tribe, and the
leader of the company which killed her
mother and her sisters, and took her and
her brother prisoners.
Now in the west arose dark clouds,
which soon oyerspread the whole heav-
ems, and the clements were rent with the
p ealS Of thunder. Darkness, deep and
gloomy, shrowdcd the whole heavens;
this darkness greatly embarrassed the
spies in their contemplated night escape,
they might readily loose their
way, and accidentally fall OH their enemy,
but a short consultation decided the plan;
it was agreed that the girl should go fore
most, from her intimate knowledge of the
localities, and another might he gained
in case they should fall in with any of
the parties Of the outposts.
From her knowledge of the language
she might deceive the sentinels, as the
sequal proved, for scar cely had they de-
sccndcd hundred yards when a low
whist from the girl warned them of their
danger. The spies sunk silently on the
ground, where, by previous arrangement,
they were to remain till the signal was
given by the girl to move on. Her alb
Sencc, for the space of quarter of an
hoar, began to excite the most serious
Again she appeared ,and
told them she had succeed in removing
two sentincs to short distance, who
were directly on their route. The descent
was. noiselessly resumed, and the spies fol-
lowed their intrepid leader for half
mile in the most profound silence, when
the barking Of a dog at a short distance
apprised them of new danger. The al
most simultaneous click Of the spies rifles
was heard by the girl, who stated that
they were now in the midst of the Indian
camps, and their lives depended on the
most profound silence and implicitly fol-
lowing her footsteps. A moment after
ward, the girl was accosted by squaw,
from an opening in her wigwam; she re-
Piled in the Indian language, and, with
out stopping, still pressed forward In a
short time she stopped and assured the
spies that the village was cleared, and
that they had passed the greatest danger.
She knew that every leading pass was
guarded safely by the Indians, and at
once resolved to adopt the bold adyen-
ture Of passing through the centre Of the
villare. as the least hazardous. and the