Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-09-07

gallantry. The purpose was no sooner
formed than acted upon. He sprang up
on his victims with the strength and ac-
tiyity of panther, and tightly grasping
their throats, leaped with them into the
river. Without difficulty he succeeded
in thrusting the head of the elder beneath
the water, where she speedily became in
sesible; but the younger made stouter
resistance, and during the struggle, to his
great surprise, addressed him in his own
language, though in words scarcely artc-
ulate. He quickly released his hold,
when she infyImed him that, ten years be-
fore. she had been made prisoner by the
Indians, who had brutally murdered her
mother and two sisters before her eyes.
During the narrative, White let go his
grasp upon the squaw, whose body fioated
where it was rot likely soon TO be discov-
cred and then hastily directing the girl
to follow him, with wonicd speed and en-
ergy he pushed for the hill. They had
scarcely gone two hundred yards, when
shouts of alarm were heard about quarter
of mile below. Some warriors on their
way to the camp, had probably reached
the river as the body of the drowned
squaw foated past. White and the girl
succeeded in reaching the hill where Nc
Clellan had remained no Indifferent spec
tator of the commotion so suddenly ex
cited. The Indians had Immediately
struck off in every direction, and a num-
Der of them, before the fugitives could
reach the summit, had commenced TO as
cend the accliyity-picking their way
with caution, and keeping constantly un-
der cover. From time TO time glimpses
were caught Of their swarthy foes, as they
glided from tree to tree and Iock to rock,
till at length it became evident that the
base of the hill was surrounded, and eve
ry hope OF escape cut off.
Nothing was left the two pioneers but
to sell their lives as dearly as possible
Ihis they resolved to do, advising the
the girl to lose no time in making her way
back to the Indians, whom she would
have no difficulty in convincing that she
had just escaped fr,m capture.
s. No!" she exclaimed death with my
paop1a 4, a tbopsapd ,;poaS ,raforoblo 80 -,
longer life of captivity"
Further remonstrance was useless, and
the scounts addressed themselves to prep
arations for a vigorous resistance. The
only perceptible access to the hill was by
narrow causeway or backbone" along
which the savages were compelled to ad-
vance in single file, though for the most
part, under shelter of rocks and trees
But in passing f ON cover to cover, each
warrior was obliged TO incur moments
exposure, and two inches of his dusky
form was target sufficient for the uner-
ring rifles of the scouts.
For several hours the outnnmberina foe
was held in check but new and hither-
too undiscovered danger menaced the har-
dy woodsmen. Their crafty enemies were
preparing to assal them in fank-a move
ment which might be successfully accom-
plished by means of detached portion
of rock which lay adjacent to one of the
sides of the promontory. The brave
scouts fully realized their desperate stu
alton; but SO far from being unnerved by
its hopelessness, they felt their courage
emboldened by the thought that the GER
tainty of death was not greater than the
certainty of vengeance.
Soon McClelland saw dusky figure
preparing 10 spring from cover SO near
the fatal rock, that a single bound must
reach it. Everything depended on the
accuracy of single shot, and, though |
less than half hands breath of the |
warriors body was exposed, and that at
distance of one hundred yards. the un-
daunted scout saw it was his only chance,
and resolved to take it, Coolly raising
his rifle, and aiming with the carefulness
of man who knew that his own no less |
Than his aaversary's life hung on the re-
suit. he drew the trigger. The hammer
fell but instead of striking fire, the flint
through some nhei en-! dc ect, was crushed /
TO fragments.
Though convinced that the savage must
gain the rock before he could adult an
other flint, he set about the task with COM
posure, resolved that his enemy should de-
rive no advantage from his remi-sness.-
CHANGING from his work TO the pl ce of
the warriors concealment, he saw the stall
wari savage, with every muscle nerved,
prepared to take the leap. With the agil-
ity Of a deer he gave a bound but in
stead of reaching the rock. his progress
was midway arrested as though by some
mysterious convulsion of his limbs and
body, and he fell, rolling down the torkv