, 1864-08-08


gone, and Jack assured her sit wouldn't
be over thousand years"
He finally took leave of her, in his rude
way, and went about fifty miles to the east
ward, where, partly for cash and partly on
credit, he purchased small shanty, and
land enough to live on comfortably, and
then returned for the purpose Of removing
his bird to the cage.
But judge Of his anguish on finding that
Katy was lost to him, perhapsfOreyer. The
young couple with whom she had made her
home in the wilderness were almost frenzied
with fear and tribulation. They told him,
with wringing hands and fearful eyes, that
Katy had the day before gone over to a
little prairie grove to gather some flowers,
and that shortly after, hearing some wild
screams and horrible yells, they had looked
ont just in time to sec her borne off by a
party Of mounted Indians.
At this direful intelligence Jack Hawks
worth sunk down on the nearest seat, bur;
led his face in his hands, and for few
minutes shook all over like a man with the
ague When he again looked up, his hands
and lips were working cOnvulsively, his
dark, bronzed features were white and
ghastIy, large beads of perspiration were
standing all over his face, and his small
black eyes had piercing, fiery, wicked ex-
preston. He staggered to his feet without
saying a word, clutched his long rife with
gripe that seemed to sink his fingers into
the cold metal, and then went straight to
the spot where his unfortunate wife had
been seen in the power Of savage foe.
For half an hour he walked to and fro over
the ground, .minutely examining the foot
prints Of the different horses, and calculat-
ing their number; and then, falling upon
the departing trail, he struck off at long.
steady Indian lope, and soon disappeared
from sight of the excited couple who had
come forth to watch him.
The trail led almost directly southwark,
and all the remainder Of that day the old
hunter pursued it at the same Looping pace.
To have seen him going over mile after
mile Of plains, hills, valleys, wOOd-belts
and streams, at the same steady gait, with
out once pausing to take breath, or showing
the least sign of fatigue, one might almost
have fancied him an iron automatOn, pro-
pelled by untiring machinery. When at
length night fell upon him, and he could
no longer see the footprints he was follow
ing, he threw himself down upon the green
bank Of running stream, ate few mouth
fnls from his wallet, took a long drink Of
the flowing water, stretched himself out on
the ground, with one hand resting on his
trilsty rife, and almost Immediately went to
sleep, though in that peculiar condition of
mind and body, the rcsultof long experience
in scenes of danger, that the slightest unu-
sual sound would be sure to wake him.
Six or seven hours was all the rest that
Jack required; and the moon by that time
being well up, and pouring down silvery
food through clOudless sky. he arose, took
another drink, and resumed his course on
the broad trail This he followed at slower
pace till daylight once more made it clear
before him, and then he hurried forward as
on the day preceding.
The sun was perhaps two hours above
the horizon. when he reached the place
where the Indians had encamped on the
night following the capture Of his wife.
Here he spent some half-an-hour in exam
lining the different footprints; and when,
among others, he found those Of his pretty
bird, and saw where she had passed the
night, his agitation and excitement became
painful, and he several times groaned out as
one enduring great bodily suffering.
At length he set his teeth hard. with an
unswerying determination, drew his hands
slowly over his face. and outwardly became
more composed. Then he commenced a
broad circuit around the camp, to find the
departing trail In doing this, he discov-
cred point where three horses fled of
from the main body; and suspecting these
had been detached and sent off with the
fair captive in homeward direction, he at
once resolved to follow this trail instead Of
the other. 80,
"Ef Tn wrong" he muttered, "good-
bye to little Kate for the present; but Of
I'm right, andit's in one human mater to do
It, I'll hev her back ag'in, and the sealps Of
them as tux her."
With this he again set forward in the
manner described, and, with only now and
then brief rest, continued the same hur-
| flcu plcc tilA mar buhSct, Mueu ic Cdlut
upon the previous nights camp of the three
Indians, showing that thus far he had
gained upon his enemies. With the wild
est anxiety of hope and fear, he now made
an eager search for the footprints of his
little wife, and when at length he found
them, where she had dismounted and been
secured to a tree, thus proving that her life
had SO far been spared and he had taken
the proper course, such contending emotions
Of joy and rage took possession of him-joy
at the discovery and rage against her foes
that for time he was like one dement,
ed.
Since branching off from the main body,
the three warriors had kept astraight course,
a little north Of west; but on the third day
Jack Hawksworth reached spot, on an
open plain, where they had made a halt,
probably of short duration, and perhaps to
discuss change Of route, and from which,
to his surprise, he now found the trail led
directly south, toward range of hills that
could barely be discerned in the blue dis.
tance. Knowing that among these hills
was rare spring of medicinal water, which
the Indians not unfrequently visited, it oc.
Cured to him that the present party had
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