Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-09-07
Miscellany.
Indian Adventure in Ohio.

In Tie year ll9Z, on the banks OF the
Hockhocking, few miles above its june
ton with the Ohio, stood small stockade,
then one of the frontier posts Of the
North West. Its inmates had been an
noyed by repeated attacks of Indians !;
but protected by their works, actuated by
the hardy courage of their class, they had
uniformly repulsed their assailants, and
frequently with considerable loss.
Sometime in the month of October, in
telligence reached he little garrison that
the savages were preparing an expedition
against the settlements in great force. A
council was Immediately held, and scouts
were sent out with instructions to ascer-
| tain, if possible, the number of the enc
my and the probable point of attack
Two of these, McClelland and White,
ascended the river as far as the picturesque
promontory, now known as Mount Pleas
ant, the summit of which commanded an
extensive view of the surrounding coun-
try.
Here the two scouts took their station,
and were not long in discovering the OBJ
jects of their search. The smoke of an
encampment rising through the trees be-
trayed the presence of their foes, at dis
a distance much better adapted to scruti-
ny than to securing the safety of the
watchers. Each day brought fresh ac-
cessions to the warriors and every new
arrival was greeted with prolonged and
exultant yells. Such sounds were well
calculated to appall those to whom they
were unfamiliar; but to our gallant scouts
they served. like martial music, to string
the nerves and stir the spirits From
early youth they had lived on the from
tier. 1t was not likely, therefore, that
they would either be circumvented by
their foes, or, without desperate strug-
gle, fall victims TO the scaping-knife.
On several occasions small parties left
the encampment and assembled the hill, at
which times the scouts would hide in
cleft of the rocks, or creep among the
branches Of some fallen tree, till the dan
ger was past. For food they depended
on the supply in their knapsacks, for they
dared not kindle fire, and the report of
one of their rifles would have preeipitated
upon thom the entire band OF savages.-
1t had It Gently rained, and pool of wa
+ among the rocks served them for their
drink. In few days, however, this dis
appeared, and the alternative was pre-
sented Of finding new supply or aban-
doning their undertaking.
McCleIland volunteered to make the |
attempt. Carrying his trusty rife in his
hand, and with two canteens strung across
his shoulders, he cruiiousIy descended TO
the verge of the prairie,and keeping with
in the tliickets of hazel which skirt d the |
bills, directed his course TO the river, on
the banks of which he had the good for
tune to find a gushing spring, from whose
waters he filed his cantcens, and returned
in safety.
The success of this enterprise deter
mined the two friends TO have fresh sup |
ply Of water daily, and the task of pro-
curing it was TO be performed alternately.
The next day, when White had filed his
canteens, he sat few moments watching
the limpid element as If gurgled from the
earth. While thus employed, sound of
light footsteps caught his ear and. turn
ing, he saw a couple of squaws, (Indian
women, within few feet of him, the el-
der of whom Immediately uttered one of
those far-reaching ~hoops peculiar TO her
race.
White at once eomprehended the peril |
of bis situation. If the alarm should
reach the camp, both he and his companion
must inevitably perish. Selfpreservaiion
prompted the infiction Of noiseless