The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-11-07

rushed forward to unearth the ambushed
foe. Again the fire was repeated, with
the muzzles OF their rifles within a few
feet of our faces. I gazed round for an
instant, after discharging my piece at one
another to the soft, sandy rock, against
which he tell, and perceived none of my
party by my side But the thick smoke
and rapidly falling darkness that now
ruled, in conjunction with shots, yelis and
groans, in the surrounding glen, made
everything invisible beyond the length Of
the arm.
At that instant I felt sudden pang
dizziness, blackness like death, came on
me /; clutched wildly at the sulphurcus
air, reeled and fell
When | recovered my senses, discov-
cred that was lying on my side, bleeding
slightly from flesh wound in the thigh.
| had bled profusely, before recovering,
for was saturated in half.congealed gore.
Raising myself on my elbow, | looked
shining with all the softness of her beauty
on the spot ] counted five bodies lying
within compass of almost as many yards.
[ endeavored to discover their uniforms,
but could not at that distance. l rose
slowly, and with much difficulty reached
the nearest. He was dead, with blue
hole in the centre of his forehead, through
which the bullet had passed and the blood
still slowly oozed. | crawled to the next
one he, too, was past all earthly aid. So
on to the third, fourth and fifth. The
bullet had done it's full work on ALL These
had been my comrades, few hours before,
eager to deal destruction upon foes, and
careless of the fate that met them. l was
the sixth and last of the party.
But where was the enemy, or what had
been the enemy? l heard no sound, and
the moonlight falling directly upon the
dead men and the gray, weird-lke rocks,
produced an effect that was sickening and
horrible. 1 remembered the man | had
slain. searched for his body, but 1t was
gone l searched for others of the enemy,
but all had disappeared.
There were no dead left on that battle
ground but the five fallen scouts. Yet it
was obvious that others had perished there,
from the blood lying in little pools among
the rocks, behind which the ambushed
foe had lurked and poured upon us his
deadly fire.
NV wound began to bleed afresh, which
brought faintness upon me, and | sank
to the earth A burning thirst was con-
suming me, and | groaned in agony.
After little while 1 made another eff
fort to rise, but failed; and then falling
back, as calmly as possible, l yielded to
my fate I thought of past days, when,
in early youth, no cry for blood had yet
awakened that inherent ferocity that turks
unseen in the heart of man, until the
fearful scent rouses it as it does the blood
ness that appals, and q strength that des-
olates.
CAPTURE.
My reverie was broken by the sound of
voices. Then came that of approaching
footsteps. AS it drew nearer new life
seemed to quiver through my veins, like
a fresh gush of virgin spring. The most
savage foe, to whom the torture of cap
tive was an unapproachable delight, ad-
vancing upon me with the menaces of a
demoniac, would at that moment have been
welcome as an angel of light in comparison
to the loneliness-the woe of that dismal
glen, and its bloody and unburied dead
In few moments a dozen armed men
were on the spot, leaning upon their rifles
and gazing round upon the dead. Some
stopped and examined the body with care
less scrutiny; others merely stirred them
with the foot, or turned them over with
the muzzles of their guns, with the brutal
Indifference bloodshed engenaers in the
heart.
"They're dead Let them rotr' said
one, who appeared to be the leader Of the
party.
"Not all Dead" replied.
Had voice actually issued from the
tomb, as mine undoubtedly seemed to do,
its effect would not have been much more
startling. Each man, for an instant,
seemed changed into statue. Then the
whole group made simultaneous move
ment toward me.
"That's the fellow that bayonetted Ike,"
exclaimed one of them, cooking his revol-
yer and thrusting the muzzle between my
teeth.
In another instant | should have been
in eternity, but for the sudden jerking
back of my would-be destroyer's arm by
one of his comrades, who calmly remark
ed !: 'If he's got through the rough
work he had while ago, we'll not kill
the poor devil now" With muttered
curse the ruffian replaced his weapon in
his belt and withdre ". "Where are you
hurt ?" inquired he whose interference