Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-03-19

| nasty ana whispered conference rcVefieu
to the latter the state Of affairs.
To d locker Oh, il would have been an
exciting scene. The two innocent and
helpless captivss teposiug side by side, in
rude hut, feafing no Immediate i'll, yet
almost hopeless Of relief from captivity
the two savages creeping, like tigers, upon
their prey, and the Hermit and Wilmer
tracking these last, with noble resolves and
iron nerves, ready to strike for the freedom
of the captives, the honor of mankind and
the cause of humanity.
~ see ray of light !" whispered Will
mer, "let them enter the hut, and we will
follow close behind them, and then two
we'll aimed blows, hasty retreat, and the
work is DONE" =. .4s...-.-.-
The Hermit replied not, but grasped his
weapons with a firmer hold and cast a keen
er look into the gloom Of night, in the
effort to distinguish the forms that were
preceding him. The next moment, the
blanket that covered the. entrance to the
hut, was cautiously lifted, and the faint
light that escaped, made visible the forms
of the two savages, as they entered, and
all was darkness again. The Hermit and
Wilmer increased, their speed, without
forgetting to be cautious, and heard a
smothered exclamation and the noise of a
scufie, just as they reached the door. Side
by side, they entered, with noiseless steps,
and by the light Of the Pickering torch,
beheld the savages bending over their
victims, in the act of binding their arms,
Two blows were struck, almost simultan-
eously, followed by dull, crashing sound,
and the savages, without the utterance of
a word or groan, fell dead upon the floor
One ofthe bodies fell against the support
of the torch, dasbing it to the ground, and
all was darkness. e
GAS you value life and liberty" whis-
pered Wilmer, "be silent and follow u.s."
The gags were removed in an instant,
and placing the young lady's arm in his,
whilst the Hermit did the same with the
elder, Wilmer led the way from the hut,
and in profound silence they wended their
way towards the boat. 1t were no easy
matter to portray the emotions of the moth
er and daughter ON hearing their own
language spoken by other than themselves,
after lapse of nearly five years, andwith-
out thought as to whittier they were
going, or by whom accompanied, they
stepped lightly forward, their hearts swell
ing with JOY at the prospect of a happy
release from captivity.
They had reached the river and were
seated in the canoe, when light burst
forth, illuming the whole village the In
dians, with wild shouts, we're seen running
towards the point whence the light emcna-
ted. The cause Of this sudden commotion
was plain to Wilmer, who remarked in a
whisper, as he pushed the boat from the
shore, that the torch had fallen in the dry
grass strewed over the floor, had ignited it.
and the hut was on fire I; and as it may
reveal the escape of the ladies, much sooner
than is desirable, they must make all pos
sible haste. But his fears proved ground
less. The hut was soon burned down aud
the blackened corpscs revealed to the eyes
of the savages, indistinctly seen, were mis-
taken for those of the captives and as no
one noticed the absence of their murdered
companions, all retired, satisfied that the
pale faces had fallen victims to the devour-
ing element.
Meantime, Winners sturdy strokes had
driven the light canoe swiftly to the point
whence the Hermit debarked, and fastened
topursue with the horses line parallel with
the river and as the signals were agreed
upon, he found no difficulty in keeping
even pace With the boat, and near enough
to render prompt assistance should danger
threaten. Wilmer pulled out into the
stream, and throwing his full strength upon
the oars, far outstripped current of four
miles an hour, nor did he relax his efforts
until he was many miles from the village ;
and during the whole time, not "a word had
been spoken. Silence was painful re-
straint when his affections were struggling
for utterance but safety was considera-
ton paramount at that time, and nobly
did heresistt the temptation to endangeritby
a word spoken aloud, or moments delay
When, however, distance had given him
confidence. and continued strain upon
his muscular powers made repose ncccs
sity, he drew along breath, laid down his
oars and, kneeling at the feet of the ladies
who sat side by side, and throwing his