The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1866-01-11
NO. 81.

not stop? Another leading already
He, too, must go-and thus everything
depends on chances. | wish the wind
blew to the westward"
The muzzie of Kings weapon covered
the new leader. The trigger was pulled
and the beast fell over before he had tax
en- his place as leader. The stations now
stopped as if irresolute how to proceed !,
but Ruxton saw, leaving the ranks, far in
the rear, selfappointed captain, who,
with movements we might with some de-
gree of truth say, were analogous to
lightning, pushed to the front.
at will be full minute before he
reaches the van" unused the guide. "T
will have time enough to reach the train.
Ha ! the wind is changing! We are
saved-saved"
As he spoke, he rode down the hill,
and in little while was within the lines
of the wagons.
"Pull, all of you, the grass from
around here.-Leave the ground bare
The prairie must be fired. 1t is our on
ly chance !" he cried, as he allghted from
his painting bay.
In an instant the men, women, and
children, who had previously been made
acquainted with the impending danger,
were at work with knives and sickles,
shearing the earth of it's herbage. A few
minutes suficed for this; but it was not
wholly finished when the front rank of
of the wild stations were seen coming O.
yer the brow of the hill which the guide
had just left
"Make your animals fast to the wheels
of the wagons" was the next command.
Without word his directions we're;
obeyed.
awe are prepared" he said, as he look
ed around him; ''but our poor beasts wiH
suffer for many mile for that / am about
to destroy"
"Now." said the guide, cit is our time"
Springing over one of the vehicles, he
commenced striking his flint and STEEL
The tinder beneath this ignited. 1t was
instantly applied to the grass, which
the cavallada was now within thousand
yards of the train-at once sprang by in
great sheets of fame, and seemed to ira
vel towards the wild horses even more ra-
pidly, under the pressure of the wind,
than they were moving against them
The stations suddenly stopped, looked
bewildered, and then, with shriekings,
snortings, and neighing, that filed the
air and stunned the ears with discordant
noises, turned northward to escape the
new danger.
The fire had now spread itself far an d
wide, and leaped from hillock to hillock,
rising and falling at the same time like
the phosphorescent waves IN tropical
sea. Away to the northward the prairie
fire rushed, following closely upon the
heels Of the Disconnected stations until
both were finally lost sight of in the far
off distance, where the earth and sky
seemed to meet in friendly embrace.
The great peril was safely passed.
''Had not the wind suddenly veered, said
Ruxton, as he looked upon the men, wo-
men, and children who gathered around
him, "not one of US would have lived to
see the sun set. We should have been
tranpled and torn to pieces. Atany 9TH
er season but this, those wild creatures
would have avoided rather than pursued
US. Now they are literally mad"
With thankful hearts the men rear
ranged the train and pursued their way
west over ground now black and dreary,
I that but few hours before was as lovely
to the vision Of the minds eye as is an
imagined landscape of Paradise.