The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-12-27

| Tree anu Took I'd TOOK, I'LL hI leHSlh III W
came evident that the base of the hill wal
surrounded, and every hope of escape was
cut off.
Nothing was left the two pioneers but tc
sell their lives as dearly as possible This
they resolved to do, advising the girl tc
lose no time in making her way back to the
Indians, whom she would have no Difficult
ty in convincing that she had just escaped
from capture.
mo - she exclaimed, ''death with my
people is thousand times more preferable
than longer life of captivity !"
Further remoustrance was useless, and
the scouts addressed themselves to prepare
lions for vigorous resistance. The only
perceptible access to the hill was by mar
row causeway or backbone, along which
the savages were compelled to advance in
single file, though for the most part under
shelter of rocks and trees But III passing
from cover to cover each warrior was obliged
to incur moments exposure, and two
inches of his dusky form was target suf1i-
cient for the unerriDg rifles OF the scouts
For several hours the outnUmberlng foe was
held in check, but new and hitherto I'M
discovered danger menaced tue hardy
woodsmen. Their crafty enemies were pre-
pairing to assai them in hank-a movement
which might be successfully accomplished
| by means of detached portion of rock
which lay adjacent to one Of the sides of
the promontory The brave scouts lily re-
allied their desperate situation but 80 far
| from being unnerved by it's hopelessness
they felt their courage embroidered by the
thought that the certainty of death was
| not greater than the certainty of revenge.
Soon McCleIland saw a dusky figure pre-
pairing to spring from cover so near the
fatal rock that single bound must reach
it. Everything depended on the accuracy
of a single shot, and though less than
hands breadth of the warriors body was Elk
posed, and that at distance of hundred
yards, the undaunted scout saw it was his
only chance and resolved TO take it. Coolly
raising his rife, and aiming with the care
! fulness of man who knew that his own
no less than his adversarys life depended on
the result he drew the trigger. The ham
| mer fell but instead of striking fire, the
| flint, through some inherent defect, was
crushed to fragments.
Though convinced that the savage must
gain the rock before he could adjust anoth-
er flint, he set about the task with compo-
sure, resolved that his enemy should gain
no advantage 10y his remispess CHANGING
from his work to the place of the warriors
| concealnent, he saw the stalwart savage
with every muscle nerved, prepared to take
| the leap With the agility of a deer he
gave bound, but instead of reaching the
rock, his progress was midway arrested as
though by some mysterious convusion of
the limbs and body, and he fell, rolling
down the rocky slope distance of fifty
feet. He had evidently received death
shot from some unknown hand and ter
rible shout from below announced the death
of favorite warrior.
A few moments sufhced to show that the
advantage so unexpectedly gained would be
of short duration, for already another In.
dian was seen approaching the cover recent
Iy occupied by his comrade.
Again the attack in front was resumed
with increased fury, so as to engage the
constant attention of both the scouts. With
this diversion in his favor, the second war
riOr prepared to take the leap essayed by his
predecessor. With the spring of tiger,
the fierce and wary savage darted toward
the coveted rock but the same unseen
hand intercepted his career, and turning
complete somersault in the air, his body
rolled down the declivity to that of his
companion.
This last mysterious sacrifice struck dis
may to the hearts of the assailants who, iC
! being now sunset, withdrew to devise new
modes of attack-a respite which came
seasonably to the scouts, wearied as they
were by the protracted and unequal contest.
| 1t was now that the absence of the girl
was first discovered and the pioneers sup
posed she had either fled through fear to her
former conquerors, or had been killed in the
| fight but they were not long i'll suspense !;
| for in a few moments the object of their con-
lectures was seen emerging from the cover
of a rock, carrying rifle in her hand. In
the heat of the contest she had seen war
rior fall some fifty yards i'll advance of the
main body, and crouchipg in the under
growth, she had crept to the spot unobserv-
ed, and secured his rifle and ammunition.
her practiced eye had not failed to notice
the danger to which they were exposed by
the proximity of the rock aud hers was
the mysterious hand by which the warriors
bad fallen. The second was the hercest and
most bloody thirsty of the Shawnees, and
it was he who bad ten years before, muir
dered and scalped her mother aud sisters.
The night was dark aud cloudy, a cir
cumstauce which enabled the scouts under
guidance OF the intrepid girl to elude their
enemies and withdraw from their perilous
situation
After toilsome march of three days the
party reached the stockade in safety Their
escape deferred the indians from their con
tempated attack, the surprise they had
planned being thereby rendered impractical
bIa