The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-10-19

water, and pushed them through it, to be car
ried away by the current of the river
Even yet, the number of his necessary pre-
cautions was MT complete. He ad u large
fire to make, next, on the spot where the two
savages had dropped, with the double object of
effacins all traces of their fall, and of destroy
ing the faintest scent of blood before the wolves
col ccted again. When the fire hao dwindled
to heap of ashes, new snow storm smoothed
out ali marks of it. BY the next morning not
sign was left to betray the deaths OF the In
dians-the smooth ground was as empty and
white as ever-and of all that had happened
on that memorable sixteenth Cay of the travel
er's sojourn in the wilderness, nothing now re-
mained but the terrible recollection of it.
The time were on from that date, without
an event to break the woeful ptony of it,
until Christmas came. He was still alive in
his solitude on Christmas came. He was still
alive in his soltudeon Christmas day. A stoid
| al,athy towards u e future had begun to get
possession of him; his sense of the horror of
his situation grew numb and dull; the long
solitude and the ceaseless cold seemed to be
slowly freezing his mind, and making new
will lerness there. dreary. and emf ty as the
waste that en-ompassed him. His thoughts
wandered with Il certain sadness to the Christ
mas trees and the children's festivals, at that
blessed season in his native Germany-but he
was too far gone for any deep grief, or for any
bitter pangs of despair
He kept Chr stmas day with tho only indul-
gencc he could afford himself pipe-ful of the
dry willow leaves; and. as night fell, he lay on
his back by the fire, looking up through the
hole of his tent. at the frosty heavens. and
fancying dimly that tn. kind stars looked
down on him, as they had often looked, in by
gone days, at home.
The old year ended and the new year came
IT TIS h,,lu |: cEnp Il,
was not far off. 1t was d. y-light. early in the
month OF January lie was resting under his
blankets-not asleep, and not awake Sud
denly the sOu:.d ofapproaching footsteps reach.
ed him on tie st.l air. 1t was nodrcain-a sa.
lutaton Of Indian language sounded in his ear
moment afterwards. He reused himself and
caught up his rifle. More words were spoken
before he could get out of the tent. it was
the English language this time. .'Ypu are
badly off here. t, lend, said cheerful voice.
IIld the white men fthe Post and the Miss
ion remembered him at last? No When
the tent covering was raised, an l. dian en-
tered, and pushed his five foot he in b. fore
hiu. A savage looking man, with five savage
companions. The lost traveller advanced to
meet them with his rife ready Happily. he
was wrong this time. -Thcsn-s-r...A- -uandAs-
eHs of the prlirie-these charitable heathen
whom the pitIlcSs Christians at the Mission
the good work which his white brethren had
to their eternal disgrace, neglected; they had
cune to savehim.
The man who had spoken in English was Il
half.Lreed-a voluntary renegade from civil
Eat on. His companions belonged. like himself.
to the friendly tribe of Ottoe Indians. They
had gone out with squaws a hunting expe-
dition, and they had seen the smuke of the lost
travellers fire two miles off. You are hungry"
they said to him, producing their own food
'seat You ready to perish-come with
us. You arc sick-we will take care of you
and clothe you" These were the words Of the
Red Skins; and the friendly promises they i'm
Piled were performed to the letter.
On the next day every member of the hunt
ing party, including he women and the boys
assembled at the tent to remove the fnrsaken
white man. and all that belonged to him. to
their own camp. The goods, for the preser
vation OF which he had risked his life, wert
packed up: the wago., abandoned by his fellcw
traveller and himself, at the beginning of thcir
disasters. where their last horse died. was
cleared of snow and made fit for use again
and even til. tent was not lett behind. 1t was
t,'o firmly frozen TO the ground to be pulled up
so it was cut off just above the snow and was
thrown over the rest of the baggage. When
the In jians had packed the wagon. their wives
and their boz s harnessed them:eves to it. and
dragged it away to the camp. Mr. Mollhausen
and the elder Warrior followed. The Prussian
traveller stopped before he left the place for
ever. to take last look at the lonely scene of
all his suferings and all his peris. The spot
where his tent had stood was still marked in
the snowy waste by the ashes of his expiring
fire. His eyes rested long on that last left.
touching trace of himself and his hardships-
then wandered away to the bank of the river
where he mad lain in ambush for the Pawnees
TO the hoe in the ice through which he had
thrust their bodies. He shuddered. as we'll as
he might at the dreadful memori, which the
fam liar obj cts around him called up. A
moment more, and he was descending the hill.
from the summit of which he had looked back
to follow the trail OF his Indian friends-a mo-
me1t more, and he left his home in the desert
forever.
In less than five weeks from that time, he
and his wagon load of gods were safe, thanks
to the Ottoe Indians, at the fur trading station
o the Missouri river; and he was eating good
bread again, and drinking whish " punch in
the society of white men.
The particulars of this fearful narrative of
suffering and peril have been abridged from
an episode in Mr. Monhausen's own record of
his travelling adventures in Norrh America
duri = a second visit to that part of the world.
when he was in the employment of the United
States Government.
SILENT INFLUENcE.-It is the bubbling
spring which flows gently, the little rivulet
which runs along, day and night, by the farm
house, that Is used rather than the swollen
flood or warning cataracls Niagara excites