Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-03-05

ted by the sudden onslaught, and sprung TO
one side. Ere he had time to leap forward,
Brady had caught him by the bride. His
loud snorting threatened to arouse any one
who was near. The Captain soothed the frgh-
tened animal into quiet.
Gray now hurriedly asked Brady what the
danger was. The strong vigorous spy, turned
away his face unable to answer him. The set
tiers already anxious fears were thus turned
into realities The manly form shook like an
aspen leaf with emOtion,-tearS fell as large
drops of water over his bronzed face. Brady
permitted the indulgence for a moment, whilst
he led the horse into thicket close at hand
and tied him. When he returned, Gray had
sunk to the earth, and a great tremulous con-
vulSion writhed over him. Brady quietly touch
him and said Come" He at once arose, and
had gone but few yards until every trace of
emotion had apparently vanished He was no
longer the bereaved husband and father-he
Was the sturdy, well-trained hunter, whose ear
and eye were acutely alive to every sight or
sound, the waving of leaf or the cracking of
the smallest twig
He desired to proceed directly towards the
house, but Brady objected to this, and they
passed down toward the river bank. AS they
proceeded they saw from the tracks of the hor-
Ses and moccasin prints upon the places where
the earth was moist, that the party was quite
a numerous one. After thoroughly examining
every cover and possible place of cOncealment,
| they passed on to the southwark and came
back in that direction to the spot where Bev-
ington stood sentry. When they reached him
they found that Biggs had not returned. In
few minutes he came He reported that the
trail was large and broad the Indians had
taken no pains to conceal their tracks-they
simply had struck back into the country so as
to avoid coming in contact with the spies whom
they supposed to be lingering about the river.
The whole four now went down to the cabin
and carefully examined the ruins After long
and minute search, Brady discovered that none
of the inmates had been consumed. This an
nouncement at once dispelled the most harrow
ing fears of Gray. AS SOON as all that could
be discovered had been ascertained, each one
of the party proposed some course of action.
one desired to go to Pittsburgh and obtain as
sistance-another thought it best to return to
Mcintosh and get some volunteers there
Brady listened patiently to beth these propo
sitions, but arose quickly, after talking a mo-
ment apart with BiggS, and said, Come"
Gray and Bevington obeyed at once, nor
| did Bggs object. Brady struck the trail and
| began pursuit in that tremendous rapid man
| ner for which he was so famous. 1t was evi-
dent that if the savages were overtaken, it
could only be done by the utmost eXertion.-
They were some hours ahead and from the
number of their horses must be nearly all
mounted. Brady felt that if they were not
overtaken that night, pursuit would be utterly
| futile. 1t was evident that this band had been
south of the Ohio and pundered the homes of
the settlers They had pounced upon the fam
lily of Gray upon their return.
When the pursuit began, it must have been
two o'clock at least, two hours had been con-
sumed by the spies i'll making the necessary
exploration abOut the house, ere they ap-
preached it, and in examining the ruins Not
a word was spoken upon the route by any one.
Their leader kept steadily in advance Occa-
sonally he would diverge from the track but
| only to take it up again mile or so in advance.
The Captains very intimate knowledge of
| the topography of the country, enabled him
to anticipate what points they would make
Thus he gained rapidly upon them by proceed
ing more nearly in a straight line toward the
point at which they aimed to cross the Beaver
river.
At last, convinced from the general direc-
ton in which the trail had led, that he could
divine with absolute certainty the syot at which
they would ford that stream, he abandoned it
and struck boldly across the country. The
curacy of his judgment was vindicated by the
| fact that from the elevated crest of long line
| of hills, he saw the Indians with their victims
| just disappearing up a ravine on the opposite
| side of the Beaver. lie counted them as they
slowly filed away under the rays of the declin-
| ing sun. There were thirteen warriors eight of
| whom were mounted-another woman besides
Gray's wife was in the cavacade, and two
children besides his-in all five children.
| The odds seemed fearful to Biggs and Bev-
| ington though Brady made no comments. The
moment they had passed out of sight, Brady
again pushed forward with unhagging energy,
nor did his followers hesitate There was not
a man among them whose muscles were not as
! tense and rigid as whip-cord, from exercise and
! training, from hardship and exposure. Grays
whole form seemed to dilate into twice its
natural size at the sight of his wife and chill
dren. Terrible was the vengeance he swore.
Just as the sun set, the spies forded the
stream and began to ascend the rayine 1t
was evident that the Indians intended to camp
| for the night some distance up a small creek
or run, which debouches into Beaver River
about three miles from the location of fort Nc
Intosh, and two below the ravine. The spot
owing to the peninsular form of the tongue of
the land lying west of the Beaver, at which
they intended to encamp, was full ten miles
from that fort. Here there was famous
spring,yso deftly and cunningly situated in a
deep DELL and so densely enclosed with thick
mountain pines, that there was little danger
of discovery. Even they might light 6.e
and could not be seen one hundred yards.
The proceedings of their leader which would
have been totally inexplicable to all others,
were partially, if not fully understood by his
| followers At least they did not hesitate or