Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-11-25

them out.
5 The necessary measures were taken
SentInels were posted at every spot Offer
ing the slightest chance of escape. Il
!. regular method of field duty was put int
/. practice. The yidettas were relieves
at appointed intervals, and during the nigh
one could hear the outposts calling to eac
other as formerly as in military camp.
:. TIE caballeros established ttemselve
quite a: their ease. Tents We're Trough
down from the plantations, q flying cam
was pitched near the place. and the ul,i
mate result of the blockade was awaited
The DAYS or hours of its duration were cal
culated in advance But hour after hour
day after day passed, and still the blood
hounds never howled-as they were sur,
to do the moment they scent death. Q Eacl
morning they gathered near the cleft BY
which the track led down to the abyss
and lifting up their noses into the air, bark
ed on with the same unabated fury. Da,
after day asihin plller of smoke was seei
during few hours whirling from tile TOP
of the platform through the deep blue
sky.sd.yi 80 Ui3 ID - orul ~ .sl7r
The matter became altogether a mysie.
ry. A. whole week, ten days, fortnight
went by, and still the dogs were to be
heard barking as usual, sill that column Of
smoke was to be seen whirling up to the
sky. 1t was allvery well for the caballeros
to direct their spy glasses toward the max,
ed rock; they could SEQ nothing, under.
stand nothing. 1.A s.4I s'Ig.i1 '"i oe'
'"Medre de Diosl What on on earth eaaurtli',caaana can
those black rascals be feeding upon up
there?" ~ 7'' j 7''5 ''',2 : D''A ~
AT last one Of the negro servants offer
ed himself as a spy, advising his master,
for appearance sake, to not raise the siege
till he came back. 4 '--''''-'7"
The offer was accepted; the siege broken
up. Only a few sentinels were left be
hind, carefully lest the spy should prove 10
be double TRAITOR The fellow, however,
knew but two well that little was to be got
from the Maroons, and much from Don
Gomez de Mier. a. . -1-
When after the lapse Of five days he came
back, safe and sound, from his perlious ex-
pedition, he had a strange story to tell
He had descended the abyss, and climed
the rock at the risk of his neck. When
he had reached the top, and Joined the fl-
gitives, reporting himself runaway from
his master, who, he said, had given up the
blockade altogether, they received him with
out suspicion. There were eight of them,
the woman included, all well and in the
best condition, making good cheer indeed.
They had venison, mutton, fowi-anylhing
but bread and chees'-for dinner they
stewed aud they roaste! Some of them
climed now and then down tho sea face Of
the rock to gether as much wood and sea-
weed as they could get for their fuel; as to
the water, they had fresh spring near at
hand. i9l .l' f5G q . l''~i % i.i'[
But the game! How did they get that ?
This was the very mystery which the spy
had to spend four days in finding out.
Night after night he saw Juano, leaving
the others, make for the seaside platform,
armed with large stick; but as he knew
pretty well that shadow of suspicion
would have put at once the fatal stop to his
diplomacy, he dared not follow him.
When the negro came back he was shure
to bring with him hare or young roe,
perhaps even whole sheep, at which, the
Others never testified the least surprise
The supplies were received quiet as a mat
ter of course not worth any particular re-
mark.
On the morning Of the fourth day at last
the spy had chance of lettering, as if by
accident, near the opposite side Of the plat
form, and was startled by the sudden flight
of great eagle that circled rapidly above
the top of peak some thirty or forty feet
higher than the common level of the plat
form. A suspicion ther occurred to him,
which he was able promptly to confirm; for
on the same night he succeeded in tracing
Juano to the peak, where, from his own
hiding place behind block, he could hear
the cries of the frightened and angry bids,
the vigorous blows with which the negro
defended himself against their mighty
wings, their dangerous beaks, their power
ful talons. The mystery was revealed
The Maroons We're feeding on the eagles
prey eoi ! --e gH; CI-a17T r7HA
Those poor birds had to work hard
There was their own family to be support
ed, and there were moreover eight idle
stomachs to be supplied with the neccessi-
ties of life, and as the negro took care new
er 10 leave more than was strictly required
to keep any of the brood from perishing
of hunger, The foraging went on with ac-
tivity. .ar r-.'t tf9e a,ad si oi 1al
p When this incident was made known to
the Spauiards, Don Gomez wrote polite
letter to an old acquaintance, captain of
La Hija Hermosa, spanish clipper ship
noted for her fast sailing, and just then at
ancher in the port of Saint Juan de Porto
Rico, requesting him TO send over his sec
ond mate for week or so, as he stood sore
ly in need of him and his rifle.
The mate though sailor, was known TO |
be dead shot. He was little in the
nigger trade just then, but he had gone
through great deal in his life. and for
three years be had been engaged in the IT, |
ger trade in the Sonora in Mexico, and slow
work as that is, yet he had contrived to
make little money BY it. The Mexican
tigers-jaguars, as they arc called-are
very dangerous animals, much more so llan
their Asiatic iolkskin, which are said TO be
but cowardly beasts. after all, who fre-
luently lake TO their heels when charged by
men.
Whenever jaguar has been seen or
heard in the neighborhood of an Indian
village, the whole tribe-men, women aud