Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-05-05
tl,nt none hut mrselfhnd arnroachcd lle hmm.

- INV l,rcast.- Was the Mjor saved, or was he lost
Had he misunderstood me- Had he changed his
flight in another ,lircction7 Or had circumstances
forced him seek safety the ether side OF the
forest, Or did he perish in the battlcl These
thoughts and many others sugg, stcd themselves to
me; but knew ONO answer to them. Noon adj
vanccd. By long ws,lins through the my feet
hal become thoroughly we, iand my legs were wca-
F. ry in the extreme. Hunger also came upon me
wiihpDwcrIdl acutcncss; FOR the body well nour-
i-lcd for the pist two.lays had resaincd strcnstr
so rs to be able to resist for time the cravings of
this great enemy; but the more Noticeable was the
present pain. Some resolutions must be taken.-
Oftwo alternatives choice must be made; mus,
either return 10 the ETY. aI d,ivcr niss,li uj to
a certain and ignominvus death, or must venture
to proceed alone on my pcrilous journey, where
countless trials and privatons awael me, and TO
cneoantes Which the flint hope of utim,te saicty
was scarcely a sufficient incentive AMI whit,er
should take s,y wa,g Without wcapons to de-
feal myself against ilungry wolf, or to fell wood
for firing; without food, without money to purchase
it, it seemed impossible for me to make safe re-
;arn There rem ,incd nothing but to rcrace nv
wav SO as ta reach the corps OF Ncy, which at
least two davs march in the II You was free,
reflected, such also would be your resoution.--
Therefore was this the only chance on which could
rcl, tomcet ,oaasaa, broke off a short pine
branch and ri med it will, my pccketnic, soas to
mike it servccabe, only walking staff, but
rs a weapon of defense in case of need. Thus |
i, commenced mr drcary way to regain the road.--
u
} Mvwospccts within and without were dreadful G.
. neugh. / had to pass through an almost intermina
bic forest, and wade tl,roag, snow knee deep. My
progress was slow indeed; and although the road
was distant only about halt hours ordinary walk,
had not vet rcachcdit L dared not enter it in the
immediate vicinity of Smocnsko; and the many
obstacles in my way, and circuitous paths wasob-
li,rl to .,llow, had more than doubled the direct
line NJ strenuous lcrtions andhungcr at lenstl,
so cxlau>tc nay bodily powers, that was obliged
To Ie down. With some twigs brushed the loose
SNOW aside and IN ulc myself rude COUCH upon
which stretched myself td<cst. My great effort
now was TO avoid sleep for knew that sleep woa;d
J become torpor. which would terminate in death
Yet much effort not requisite, for the pangs OF
hunc zee and the tormcnts of nv thoughts were suf-
fcicnt 10 ,lcivc sleep away. Toallay in some meas
IRE the pains Of hunger, cut the young rosinoas
shoots out OF The pine twgs. and tried to eat them.
This bitter food, and some snow to quench my
thirst, was the only rc;rc>hmcnt atanablc in my
present dcsncratc >ituitim.
After an hour Of rest I started anew, and soon
reachc, the great road. But what view presented
itself to me. 1t was too plainly marked with halt
naked bodies projecting out of the SHOW. Small
hillocks, lighiy covcrel with snow. against which
the foot OF the traveller continually stumbled. were
the graves Of manv miserable sufferers. Weapons
east aw ay pieces os uniforms, baggage. dead hor
scs. would have rendered the way taken by the
INV conspicuous cnough. even ii there had not been
great troad road, deeply followed out by the ar
iilery and baggage wagons. silent horror crcpt
tough m frame, as found myself no alone a.
midst the traces that indicated the dreadful path
of desolation which death had pursued through the
wilderness of snow. The road assumed the appear
ancc Of an i'm inenscly heightened graveyard, but
mo hand Of religion or lricnlsiip had inferred the
dead A shrouJ of snow formed alone the cold
covering OF the fallen victims OF ambition ex-
! pcctcd soon to reach village. Beyond a turn in
the road il lly before me; but there no longer
a house to be rccosoizcd; all were torn down or
burut. Here and there tall chimney and charrcd
wall projected through the snow. conicctured at
once that some troops hid bisouackcd in the neigh
borhoo.I, and that the men had used all the wood
for their fires soon discovered. also, the dark
and vet smoking fire places along the edge of the
forest. approached tl-em in the hope OF finding
s,mcthins that might appease my hunger. But in
vain. Here there were no dead bodies, 70. here it
wss ii the stror,g and hearty bud rested. and the
fires isul r-ofcctrd them from The cold. s -
| thrust ms st,a into the smoa'dering ashes and
uncovered a vet burning lec. II was preef that
the place had been left only tina; morning. On the
sros Z found button; took itsap OH. what :.
thrill of joy passed over me; saw upon it the de-
vices of my own regiment This small but impor-
tm,t,kcn gsvc me ncwl,spe. Colonel Lauis!'I had
! h,ltcd here. A. it vas not until afternoon that hc
! rssrclsSI ouf Of snelcnske. he must have bsouae
I'd here for the night, aud perhaps scarcely half
"A davis an ,rcl, distant from the place. Ii only
could but have obtained mprscl fool, and could
hse sestcI oshya few hours, would have been a
lie TO reach my friends perhaps before night. But
. ] rss 100 far exhausted by b)liIy fatigue, over
and above the painful cmotions OF my mind Now
for the first time, felt myself unrcrvcd. Ny ener-
gics were shaken BJd;ly weakness unnamed me.
Ms heart sank witn as the dreary sense of soil
tulc an dcscrtion. ,me oyer me-, The unfiilins
resolution with wl,ic, would arouse the courage
and resources of Others unequal to the tsk of
arousing myself.