Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-09-16

first fearful blast, to awaken the slumbering
ones of the earth. In short time, however,
the wild column of fame settled down to small
Pickering lights, like bonfres, and the dense
waves of smoke rolled off to mingle their dusky
folds with the clouds of the west. "Our sport
is all over now,' exclaimed our long leader,
ssand with your leave, ladies, we will resume
our walk He continued his ironical atten-
tions to Rosette, though she appeared to shrink
from him, with a kind of instructive horror.
An hours walk brought US in sight of an In
dian encampment. A large pile of moulder-
ing logs was surrounded BY some fifteen or
much apparent joy, and with whom he seemed
to be great favorite. Three or four wigwams
stood away to the right, and in the corner of
one, with mat of sweet fern for bed, was
pointed out our place of rest. Little Annie
slept soundly, with her head in my lap, and
poor Rosette too, after offering fervent prayer
to Heaven for our protection through the night,
pier days. My own barrassed Imagination a.
lone seemed alive to the realities of our situa-
ton. Sleep did not visit my eyelids that night
and my distempered fancy conjured up hor-
rors, till felt as 1 sometimes have, when labor
ing under the suffocating effects of the night
mare. Dread gigantic forms, with dark fea-
lures and sad cleaning eyes, stood around me;
long glittering knives, with bloody hits, hung
over my head. could see the lifeless fea-
lures of my dear sisters SCARED with the toni
ahawk, and the cold sweat fell from my fore
head till it seemed as if were actually turn
ing to pillar of ice. The sun shone clear
and warm through the opening of our cabin
the next morning, and my fatigued compan-
ions had not yet awoke. There was a slight
hustle at the door, and the stern voice of Will
mer called to US Immediately to rise. We O.
beyed, and were placed, with our hands tied,
in the centre of q dozen squaws and Indians,
whose countenances expressed the pleasure of
some anticipated event. At about a quarter
of a mile from where we started we were Or
dered to stop. The place was a small hollow,
surrounded, except on one side, with gentle
bank covered with tall slender pines, and in the
centre was a huge brown rock, whose sides
were coated with yellow moss, and on whose
top lay gihtering tomahawk. o Heavens!
thought L, and is this the altar of sacrifice, and
are we to be the victims? /? The thought had
scarcely entered my mind, when my attention
was arrested by wild thrilling shout, which
pealed along the ravine leading to the hollow
on the south, and which was Immediately
answered by corresponding sound from near
ly fifty of the savage tribe, who had begun to
form themselves in ring around the grassy
enclosure. A double file Of gorgeously tat
tooed Indians were soon discovered coming a.
long the ravine, with twelve or fifteen white
prisoners led between them, whom they placed
in sitting posture within the circle of savages,
shoulders of each. There was no cowardly
quailing, no vain womanly fears to be seen in
the faces Of those brave soldiers, although some
of them appeared to be very young. They
looked like men who had anchored their hopes
in heaven, and who were prepared to meet
death without finching. 1 recognized two or
three distinguished officers, whom l had seen
marching forth with high hopes the day before,
to battle; and at last, as my eye ran along to
the last of the doomed number, think, oh,
think, Juliet, of the dreadful pang which seized
my chilled heart, to meet the mournful gaze of
my beloved brother Philip. The villainous,
cold blooded Wilmer stood triumphantly be-
side him, and directed an occasional glance of
joy towards poor Rosette; but she
did not see him. Anticipating some dreadful
catastrophe, she had covered her face with her
hands, and prayed to heaven that she might
not look up, for knew that knowledge of
ssQueen Esther, Queen Esther,' presently
burst from the lips of all, and tall painted
squaw strobe within the circle and sprang at
one bound in the centre of the rock. Her form
is still strongly painted in my memory, but L
can not half describe it. A large crimson
fringed blanket was fastened about her tawny
neck, with kind Of loop, and confined again
at the waist with belt of various colored wam-
pun. and from thence descended q short slip
of blue stuff decorated at the bottom with large
scarlet patches. Her coarse jet hair almost
trailed ON the ground, and her wrinkled fore
head was girt abont with the skin. of the yell
low rattlesnake, which looked as If recent torn
from the body of its owner, to garnish a still
more loathsome form. Her face I will say
nothing about; it was TOO odiously terrific to
admit Of description it seemed to me se-
~ camera obscura of distorted uglinesss She
(upon gaining her conspicuous
station, seized the heavy tomahawk, ,snd began
dsncine kind Of Indian whirligig. She COM
mencsd By Aourishing her formidable weapon
alofl Is the sir, and shrieking, and called upon
ths mama of csshmoo, (whom ] afterwards
u l~R~- s~~l