Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-04-21

Oh such bright and Joyous experience as hers haV
been,-hard to lay it down thus suddenly and
Painfully, absent from all she loved; and harder
the Unreasonable fear for her fathers and s%ister'sI
safety which our own danger had awakened. II
tried to offer words of consolation as | wrapped
the poor girl in the buffalo robes from the chill
night air that ou- inactiou rendered doub'y cold
She looked a sad contrast 70 the bright creature OF
the last few hours, whose joyous ballad strains
were yet lingering in my ears. But when the
first shock was over, poor Annie struggled brave
ly with her grief, and during the remainder Of
that long, droary night Of peril she sat calmly by
my side, the most patient and resigned compan-
ion man ever had in danger,
Meanwhile, the river was bOaring us swiftly on
past rocky headlands, and dark pine forests
waving above lofty cliffs, on TO yet wilder and
sterner regions, where it seemed even the red man
would scarcely pitch his wigwam. Sometimes the
river swept us smoothly along on its broad bosom,
at others it contracted into narrower limits, and
hurried Oh with a quicker currenu and as our
Trail raft was swayed about by the broken water,
we ofttimes thought either that it would part, or
we be swept from its slippery surface, while eve
ry now and then our poor horse beat the ice wildly
WIN uAb hNVli hubI 10 ~ iCSOSh'HSN us NNbSNh~
ness, his long, shrill cries of distress and terror
rang far and wide over the river, and %quivered
through the dismal wood beyond.
Day at length broke upon US, still floating down
that lonely river, between It's frowning banks, and
on our raft, whose limits were now small indeed.
Death seemed close upon us in one of his most re-
pulsive forms, and we NO longer pretended blind
ness to his coming, but spoke together as they
should whose last hour was at hand.
Suddenly the river took an abrupt bend, and,
aided by the waters of another river, which here
fell into it, spread almost to the dimensions of q
lake; but still it was bordoTed by those monoto-
nous, wall-like banks, shutting out every hope.
At length we sighted something like o chasm
dividing the cliff Town to the waters edge. |
spraDg to my feet in an instant. Here was al
least a chance Of life-the first that during all
those wrctehed hours had presented itself-and !
resolved at once to profit by it.
Without a moments delay the horse was cast
loose from the shafts, and Annie was tied securely
to his back, then, with a few words of encourage
ment and hope to the poor young girl, l took the
halter in my hand, and sending the horse into the
water, leaped in myself, and then commenced
swimming to the shore.
But the struggle was a long and arduous %one,and
we were more than a mile from the land, and both
the horse and l were cramped and stiffened with
cold. Many o time l thought the effort was in
vain, and that neither the horse nor l would ever
reach the shore, that to my WEAKNESS seemed to
recede as we advanced. Moreover, the current
pressed strongly against us, trying to sweep Ut
down beyond our goal, against the steep, rocky
barrier that lined the water. Fortunately, the bot
springs had raised the temperature of the water
for poor Armies girlish form was almost hidden il
it, as the waves gurgled and surged around her
sometimes even sweeping above her head. Blu
the young girls courage rose with the occasion
and she bore unmurmuringly this new phase o
: suffering.
r But they strive hard whose prize is life, ant
8 after more than an hour Of hope and doubt
e and fear, we reached the land we had never hope
e to tread again. As we emerged from the waite
: the wintry wind pierced through our saturate,
!. clothing with an icy chill that threatened to freez
r them on us. Providentially in our need, we foun'
+ a settlers house near at hand, where we obtaine
r dry clothes, refreshment and the loan of q hors
o and sleigh, in which we we're soon speeding alon
=. the road TO Tircouaga. AS we proceeded, fres
fears for her fathers and SISTERS fate assaile
poor Annie, which were only set at rest when sh
/, found herself in their arms.
d Since then, the chances Of a soldiers life ha
S brought me through many adventures, but non
l have left so deep an impression on my mind q
that long and terrible night upon the i1ei nor sha
l ever cease to remember, with deep affection an
esteem, the young girl who was my gentle and h
10 roic companion in its suffering and danger.