Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-10-17

peTeo over theehillSI and over. the raYlneS
through brush. and through brier, leaping
over fallen trees, clamberingl up precipi
ccs, sliding and Lumbling down steps
Parting, he ran, and almost despaiTing
when he knew, from the sounds in his
rear, that the blood thirsty pursuers were
doing as he was doing, and. With a little
better speed. Though he ran for life, and
they ran for his Scalp. an object of less
imporlanee; yet they exerted themselves
no less strenuously : for honor. pushed
them on. Itwas trial of speed, and q
race for trophy aud shameful would il
be if they failed, two of them, to win The
prize.
Newlan's case seemed desperate. He
could mot hope to dodge them. They
were too near and TOO expert in tracing
both man and beast in the woods. be
must break the way for pursuers in break
ing il for himself and he must, if posi-.
BILE, strike the direct line to his goal not
only because it was the shortest line. but
because if through error or obstruction
he turned aside, the enemy might gain
by cutting off his curves and angles, All
the profile accidents Of such flight in-
creased his danger. They were more
likely to occur to him, than either of his
pursuers, who had only TO go where he
had gone. If he was crippled. or stopped
by an obstacle. he was lost if one pur-
suer met with an accident, another could
still pursue. A spectator of the chase
would have pronounced that Newlan's
life was not worth an hours purchase
II he saved himself, it must be by the
rarest of accidents.
After running while longer he be-
came uncertain of his course. The ob-
jecLs before him looked strange. He had
before hunted in those woods, but not in
that part, where the hills, holIows and
rocks appeared new to the hasty glance OF
his eyes. He had started in the right di-
rection. but in the hurry of his flight, and
the anxiety of his thoughts, he could not
pay due attention to the circumstances, By
which an experienced wooIsmNn, like
him. could steer his course Alright. He
had to attend closely to what was imme-
diately before him, lest Que false step
should cost him his life.
On attaining the summit Of another
mountain, he again looked back, and saw
that his pursuers were still gaining on
him the one being scarcely forty. and
the other fifty yards behind him.
Quick AS thought, he reasoned. that as
those strenuous savages had gained more
than half the interval in running about
half the distance to .he fort and he had
probably erred from the direct course. he
must infaIlbly perish by their hands. if
his escape depended on his feetness as a
III l,nr l.,
self by battling with them, for he was
but one against two. and he had but a
knife, whilst they had also tomahawks.
Looking before him, from this noun
tain top, he saw beyond it. over deep
valley, high preciPitous ridge, topped
with, bare, craggy rocks, some of which
rose, tower-shape. above the general sum
nit. Instantly the thought struck him.
that those rocks, if he could reach them.
would, If anything could, afford him some
refuge, or some cxpedient by which he
might evade or repuIse his pursuers.
HaVing Z delayed but three or four se~
conls, while the Indians were scrambIing
after Ei'a. he dashed himself down the
steep ascent, taking desperate leaps ;
sometimes falling. ana when fallen, rolls
iny aud tumbling himself down until he
could regain his feet without loss of time
Thus he reached The foot OF the mountain a
little farther ahead of the enemies than
he had been at the top, but so bruised and
scratched that be ultimately gained moth
ing by his rolling aud tum6ling descent.
Crossing the valley, only few rods
wide, he struggled UP the ridge, whose
rocky summit lie wished TO gain. The
way was steep aud rough. Near the top
he came tosa perpendicular cliff, surmoun-
ted by one OF those tower rocks, which he
had seen from the other mountain. He
was compelled to turn aside, and go some
twenty yards to the left, before he could
ind a practicable way of reaching the
summit Of the ridge.
Fortunately fer him. the ground near
the base of the cliff, was covered with
fragments of rock, and little below the
base, so thickly besct with young locust
trees and sumach bushes, in full leaf, that
his pursuers. who were near. each other,
and but thirty steps behind him when be
reached the base of the cliff, now lost
sight Of him; and as his way was pow
over clear rocks to the summit, they also
lost the trace as we'll as the SQUAD of his
feet. This caused them to delay little
Knowing that his aim was to surmount
the ridge. they parted at the base of the
cliff the one took the left the other the
right, to make sure of falling on his trail
again. He that discovered it 6rstwas &c
whoop. III llss
By this time the painting fugitive had
surmounted the ridge, and found its tor
to consist Of naked rock. but Eve or sil
yards vide where he was. and stretching
away right aud left, to a considerable dis
tance, crowned here and there by peak
aud rough towers Of the same material
Before him in deep, broad valley, b,