Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-05-22

I without word
He glided back to the, deck, and vas
almost Immediately joined by the boal-
man, to whom he briefly made known his
i hopes and fears.
Thsy thought, like their companion, that
The boat would be safest if made fast to an
c;yerhanging limb Of the Kentucky Shore;
| bat frankly admitted that this could not
be done without difficulty and danger, and
that there was a possibility Of keeping the
| current.
"Ihcn make that possibility certainty,
and it shall be the best nights work you
ever performod!'' rejoitled Eugene, in =
quick, excited tone.
"We'll do the best we car, Cap'n," was
the response; "but no man can be sartin
of the current Of this here crooked stream
in foggy night"
| A long silence followed--the voyagers
slowly drifting down through misty dark
ness impenetrable to the eye-when, sud-
denly, our young commander, who was
standing near the bow, felt the extended
branch of an overhanging limb silently
touch his face. He startled, with an ex.
clamation of alarm, and at the same mo-
ment the boatman Oh the right called
out:
"Quick, here, boys. we're agin the shore,
as sure as DEATH
Then followed scene of hurried and
anxious confusion, The voices of the three
boatmen mingling together in loud, quick,
excited tones.
Push off the bowl" cried one.
"Quick! altogether now over with
herw shouted another.
''The de'il's in it, she's running aground
here on a muddy bottom" almost yelled
a third.
Meantime the laden boat was brushing
long against projecting bushes and over
reaching limbs and every moment getting
more and more entangled /; while the long
poles and sweeps of the boatman, rs they
attempted to push her off, were often
plunged, without touching bottom, into
what appeared to be soft, clayey mud,
from which they were only extric@ ted by
such an outlay of strength as tended still
more TO draw the clumsy craft upon the
bank they wished 10 avoid. Al length,
scarcely more than minute from the first
alarm, there was q kind of settling toge tn
err, as it were, and the boat became fast
and immovable.
The fact was announced by Dick VIA
ter, in his characteristic manner-who ad-
led, with an oath that it was just what
he expected. Fer moment or two a
dead silence followed, as if each compre-
hended that the matter was one to be-
viewed in very serious light.
/ "I'l get over the bow, and try to git the
| lay of the land with my feet" said Tom
Harris; and forthwith he set about the rot
very pleasant undertaking.
At this moment Eugene heard his name
pronounced by a voice that seldom failed
to excite peculiar emotion in his breast,
and now sent a strange thrill through
every nerve; and fastening below, he
found Blanche, fully dressed, with light
in her hand, standing just outside of her
cabin, in the regular passage which led
lengthwise through the center Of the boat.
81 have heard something, Eugene" she
said, "enough to know that we have met
with an accident, but not sufficient to fully
comprehend its nature"
UNFORTUNATELY, about two hours ago"
replied Eugene, eve suddenly ecame in
volved in dense fog; and in despite of
our every precaution and care, we have
run aground-it may be against the Ohio
shore: may be against the sland-it is
so dark we can't tell But be not alarm
ed, Mise Blanche" lie hurriedly added Il
trust we shall soon be atioat again; though
in any event, the darkness is sufficient to
conceal US from the savages, even were
they in the vicinity"
II know little of Indians" returned
Blanche; 'sbut have always understood
that they are somewhat remarkable for
their acuteness of hearing; and if such is
the case, there would be no necessity of
their being very near to be made acquan.
ted with our locality, judging from the
loud voices heard few minutes ago"
II fear we've been rather imprudent,'
said Eugene, in deprecating tone; 'but
in the excitement-"
His words were suddenly cut short by
! several loud voices of alarm from without,
followed by quick and heavy trampling
across the deck; and the next moment
Seth Harper and Dick Winter burst into
the passage, the former exclaiming:
j "We've run plum into red niggsr's
nest, Cap'n, and Tom Harris is already
butchered and scalpedH
i And even as he spoke, as if in conirmas
ton of his dreadful intelligence, there a.
rose a series of wild. piercing, demoniacal
yells, followed by dead and ominous 81
\ lence.
4 So far we have followed the lovely he
roine and her friends in this adventure;
but the foregoing is all that we can pub
Y Iish in our columns The balance Of the
narrative can only be found in the New
York Ledger, the great family paper,
which can be obtained at all the periolical
stores where papers are sold. Remember
to ask for the LEDGER" dated May 22nd,
and in it you will get the continuation of
the narrative from where it leaves off here.