Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-06-07

/ that room had been left between the
men and the effort to get on an outer
| edge of the blanket was fruitless.
| A suspicion had evidently crossed
| the mind of the one who had just spo-
ken to me, respecting the stranger, and
| there was a design to gaurd against
any unpleasant results from the visit.
The days fatigue made my own in
clination to sleep almost irresistible {;
but [ watched anxiously for the fav-
oring moment to leave the bed unob-
served. Repeated trials found the
distrustful soldier sufficiently wake
full to look after his guest. Overcome
by the slumberOus influences of fatig-
ue, my comfortable quarters, and the
''stilly night" I sank into a restless
repose. Scarcely an hour had passed
when [ suddenly awoke, starting with
alarm lest the opportunity to escape
was lost. On the contrary, [ found
my companions were thoroughly
asleep, their loud breathing the only
sign of life. I carefully crawled from
between them, till half my body was
out of the tent The suspicious man,
with a sound of unrest, turned over
I remained perfectly still till he made
another turn and stretched out his arm
to see if all was right in the middle
1 drew back to my old place, and he
laid his hand upon me several times
before he seemed satisfied that I was
there. Several attempts, to leave the
tent ended in a similar failure. Day
light began to steal into the tent, and
the night of suspense must end in
some decisive effort to secure the boat
and cross the Potomac. The soldier
fishermen were sleeping quite as sound
ly as at any time before, and in anoth-
er moment l stood before tie door
watching the effect Of my mOven. .ent.
There was q little stir, and I stood
mechanically poking the embers Of
our evening fire, as if looking out to
see the breaking day but with my
pistol in one hand ready for service.
Returning it to my pocket, muzzle
down, I hastened to the bank. To my
great disappointment, there were no
oars in the boat. Upon making search
among the willows, I found a short
one, partially decayed. Noiselessly as
possibly [ launched the frail bark,
fearing each sound on the sand or in the
water would bring my Dutch friends
down the bank. In a few moments,
which suspense made impressively
long, [ foated away into the stream,
at this point not over 30 feet in width.
Taking the middle of the current,
pulled off my coat, and began to row
for life. The tide fav red me, and I
was congratulating myself upon the
the prOpect of an unmolested voyage,
when a shout drew my attention to the
Vigilant DUtchman, whose gesticUla-
tions could not be misunderstood
7 ,,11,l 1r,-11-- l. Ia e
Meyer Meyer the poat ish gone
the poat ish gone p
He seized his musket and made for
the bank, not more than dozen feet
from me shouting
Come pack here! Come pack nit
that poat p
My only answer was a more vigorous
use of the oar. Placing my right hand
upon the pistol, and watching the
soldier, l propelled the boat with my
left.
Come pack he continued, follow
ing me a long the bank. He then paus-
ed, leveled his mUsket, aud was about
to fire. did not want to kill mine
host. " but the law Of self defense again
demanded a sacrifice. With quick and
sudden aim, I fred-with a cry of dis
tress he staggered and fell lifeless be-
side his musket. His cOmrade was
running down the hill, when, seeing
what had happened, he turned back to
the tent. He soon returned with a
double barreled shotgun, and stole
along cautiously, through the bushes,
until within 40 yards Of the boat, and
then fired. The shot fell around me
in the water. Catching a glimpse of
Il, Al ! i
my revolver. He ran away evidently
unhurt. The reports had given the
alarm, aud several soldiers soon came
in sight. An instant later, a bullet
whistled over my shoulder. I had
reached the decisive moments of my
last effort to get out of Dixie. 5"
Again getting sight of the Dutchman
in the bushes. I once more took de-
liberate aim and fred. He threw up
one arm, gave yell, and fell to the
ground. In a moment he rose again,
and, grOaning, staggered away. Then
two or three shots saluted me Uncer-
enormously, striking and splintering
the side of the boat. l was now at
the mouth of the cree k, and rapidly
left the shore behind me. a squad Of
soldiers, by this ii ne, stood on the
brow and at the base of the hill. firing
their muskets. The chug of the bull
/ let's in the water reminded me that my
transit to loyal soil was not yet certain.
Both hands were laid to the oar, and,
striking the broad current of the PO-
tomac, which was here four miles wide
| [ rapidly receded from musket range.
a high wind swept the waters, and,
while rounding bluff, a sudden gust
carried away my hat, and lifted my
coat, lying in the bow of the boat,
dropping it into the river But it was
no time to look backward to those ar
ticles of apparel, floating between me
and my foes, whose bullets still came
unpleasantly near. Their shots con-
tinued until they fell far II the wake Of
my boat. The sun had risen above
the horizon, warm and bright, while
| for two hours and a half | worked
with a single oar, and aided by the
drifting tide, approached the Mary.
land shore. With an inexpressible
sense of relief, I heard the boats bow
touch the sand. [ was near Chapel
Point, ten miles below the creek OF
which I embarked, and so exhausted
that with difficulty I reached the
bank. On its green carpet, and un.
der the cooling shade of its trees,
laid down to rest, leaving the boat tC
which I owed my deliverance to tht
winds and waves of the Potomac.
From Our Young Folks.
| The Wonderful Beads or King Flu
ii and Nathaniel Nye.
Nathaniel Nye was born in BostOI
about sixty years ago. When he wa
, lad of eighteen, he shipped as a sailo
on board a vessel bound for Liverpool
and left the vessel there and went t
London. For n period of about 81,
T wears, following his departure from
8 Boston, he wandered from city to cit
t of Europe, with his bright Yanke
I brain ever on the alert to acquire usetu
y. knowledge. He worked at severa
/ trades long enough to become some
! what familliarized with them i'm
/ cutlery establishment in Sheffield, Ell
gland in a pottery in Sevres, France
+ in glass factory in Y snice, Italy; in
q M liDat shoD in Munich Germany an