The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-06-10

| -
this is only stratagem to take us out Of
our way, and gain time"
"They could scarcely have ridden far
thcr than this said White land if they
are not yonder, we are entirely off the trail" B."
"Thcy must be there, Edgar replied, de-
cidedly even as experienced ranger as
he could not but beliere what he triShed.
The advance continucd--not swiftly, but
steadily for they were now less than two
miles from the light, and the tall trees Of
the grove could be distinguished like shad-
ows against the northern sky. The fire
was evidently built within the skirts of
| the wood, and was now burning brightly,
as if replenished with fuel since they had
discovered it. Occasionally it was hid from
w,-when they descended slope and en-
tered hollow; and, sometimes shadows
passed across il, as if persons were NOV
ing about it.
"They are certainly there" thought Ed
gar, and they must have built the fire ON
Janos account. Nothing else could induce
them to be SO incautious." Bitter as was
his hatred of the savage, this idea rather
softened him and, in tho fight which he
expected, he resolved to spare as many of
them as possible.
He had now advanced within half mile
of the grove and-though the fire itself
was not visible--he could plainly see the
reflection on the branches of the trees above.
| 1t grew brighter while he gazed, and they
could almost imagine that they heard the
cracking of the dry branches in the blaze.
The captain drew his rein, and called a
halt
"There should be little clump of trees
near here" he said gazing about in the
gloom.
:" 1t lies here, to the right" said one of
the rangers-and, riding few rods in that
direction, they found small grove of
stunted oaks, where they again halted and
dismeunted. Here they tied their horses,
and having examined their arms, marched
out upon the open prairie. Edgar briefly
explained his plan of attack, and the advance
was resumed.
His men were deployed-or spread-to
the right and left, at intervals of twelve or
| fifteen PAGES ; the captain himself remain
ing in the center, and moving directly upon
! the fire. BY this means, he covered a wide
extent of ground, and yet kept his men
within supporting distance of each other,
| The tlanks were to move little faster than
tho center, gradually oonverging, when
within the grove but awaiting signal
| from the captain, before opening the attack
| Each, on making any discovery, was to COM
municate it to the next, and thus pass it up
the line to the captain; and his next or
ders were conveyed in the same way. His
immediate object was to discover the lndi-
ans horses, and thus preclude the carrying
off of their prisoner by portion of sava-
ges, during the fight with the remainder
| He could not have been more impatient
| to reach the point--on which he was ad-
vancing--had it been the rustic bower where
he might expect to meet his mistress alone /;
| yet the movement was as slow as the
steathy pace of the tiger, while he is yet
too distant to spring upon his victim, And
it had all the tigers deadliness for even
the keen senses of the Indian could not
have detected his enemys apprcach-the
| first signal could be but the crack of the
rifle, the fierce onset and the cleaning
knife.
1t seemed an hour, after they left their
horses, before they entered the outskirts
of the grove and many minutes were con-
sumed in cautiously and silently pushing
their way through the tangled briars and
hazel bushes. Within this belt, the ground
was more open but it was covered with
dry branches and withered twigs, the break
ing of any one of which-under the foot
would have been more than sufficient to
alarm the Indians. rhey could not yet
see the fire (; hut it was scarcely an hun
dred yards from them, and concealed only
by thcket within which it WAS kindled,
The horses had not yet been discovered,
nor the least sound broke the profound
stiffness of the scene. The fire seemed
burning low and the shadows began to
creep down from the tree-tops, whittier it
had driven them. Now and then, a flash
as if a blaze had caught dry twig-shot
arrowy beams out through the thicket, and
fell Pickering back within the encroaching
darkness. The FIRE was evidently neglected.
"They are all asleep" thought Edgar.
The flanks had gradually converged, ac-
cording to the plan laid down, and they
were SO thrown forward as to form half
circle. covering three sides of the little
thicket, and all about equally distant from
the fire. The captain gave a signal for q
halt, and the word passed III whispers
either way the dusky forms stood still,
and-unaWare Of their presence-one could
not have distinguished them from the trees
among which they were standing. Edgar
passed slowly from one end of the line to
the other, whispering his orders to each
man, and endeavoring to see through tho
thicket to the bicoudc 1t was too dense to
shadows Oh the ground, like sleeping men,
and-hetWeen t@Q II thslo-there seemed
one clothed in white, as if the wedding
dress of his stolen bride
He returned, without further delay, to
his post in the center; and silently, slowly,
the advance commenced. 1t was like the
grasp of 4 deadly hand, closing fatally for
mona within that charmed circle might es-
cape it's implacable gFipe.
No sound--not even the breaking of a
twg-invaded the stiffness, for a space of
time which in the intensity of expectation,
seemed an hour The fire had rapidly fall
len TO mere cinders, and its light faded to
faint glow, upon the adjacent thieket. The
Rangers fitted silently from tree to tree,
like moving shadows. Each carried his
gun poised low, in readiness for immediate
action and each placed his hand upon his
knife, for the conhct-man 10 man. They
gradually closed in until the fanks met up
on the farther side, and a Gordon was drawn
around the thicket, less than twenty PAGES
across, The fate of the slumbering saw
ages seemed sealed loT fAese wers men
who never spared an enemy, and never
shrank from battle.
Not the stirring of a leaf betrayed their
presence, as they paused for the last time,
awaiting the signal from their leader. The
click of rife lock was heard-clearly aud
ibe in the midnight stillnsss g rNeh,
bound, crashing through the brittle un-
dergrowth. and the whole band, as if moved
by one spring stood round tho smouldering
fire. gazing wildly into each others faces