The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-07-25


and at the same moment q large band of
them swarmed out of the woods and
came running across the prairie, firing
as they advanced.
My father saw there was no time to
be lost. "Back to the house, quick, for
your lives !" he shouted.
In we all rushed; the door was barred
and barricaded; tables and chairs were
placed against it. ,.
"Now, up the ladder, all of you !" said
my father.
He was the last to come up, bringing
with him all the extra guns, powder
TASKS and shot-pouches.
Father ordered the upper shutters to
be thrown open. Then he drew up the
ladder and let the trap down, and then
pulled a bedstead over it. He pulled
off the mattress and stuffed it in the
window; then he got all the bags of
meal he could find, and, with our assist
ance, piled them up against the window,
! leaving a narrow place in the centre,
through which we could fire.
1t was not long before we saw the
wisdom of these preparations, for the
Indians had now cleared the stockade
and surrounded the house, and soon the
terrible crashing of glass announced
to us their intention of killing us all.
They fired two volleys through the win
dows of the lever story, where they sup
posed us to be, and then bursting in the
doors, discovered that they had not
| harmed us.
But, with cries of vengeance, they
prepared more terrible fate for us than
their bullets ever could have accom-
7 plished.
Again hailstorm of balls poured in
through the window, but father had Or
dered us all to lie down fat and we
obeyed. By-and-by father got up, and,
holding a mattress doubled up in front
of him, peered out at the side.
"My God" he said, "Hankss house
is in flames" and he came back from
the window.
With that up sprang Liph like tiger,
and rushed to the window. He would
have thrown himself out but for father,
who caught him and dragged him back
by main force; and, after struggling
again and again with father, Liph fell
back on the foor with his hands to his
head.
Then we heard cracking sound I'M
derneath, and the wild cries of the saw
ages broke out with renewed vigor, and
several shots were fired upward, from
below, but the bullets only thumped
hard against the yellow oak flooring
they did not penetrate. Soon we per-
ceived strong fumes of smoke, and it
seemed to rise from without and curled
up past the window, and at the same
time from within, where the flooring
Joined the side of the house, and where
the joints were not perfect. My father
exclaimed, with an agonized look: ave
are lost"
The fumes grew denser, and we heard
the fire beneath us cracking louder, for
the Indians had piled up blazing fagots
all around the cabin, and in o great
pyramid III the sitting-room. Mother
strove to raise Liph of the floor, but he
lay like one dead. Father sat motion
less, with head between his hands,
groaning aloud. My sisters sobbed and
cried. Tom, only, seemed perfectly
himself, but he was always stolid.
whats the use of blubbering Z" he
said "they can't do more than roast
us" !" This was poor consolation.
Thicker and denser grew the smoke
We could scarcely see each other; and a
suffocating heat filled the room. 1 be-
gan to feel dizzy. The flames below
crackled louder. The shouts of the
demons increased, and it seemed in very
truth as though all hope was gone.
Just then, through the wild yells OF
the savages, the noise of the flames, the
| NJ +o% of +ho
there burst in sharp, shrill, distant
bugle-call. 1t was the glorious cavalry
charge sounding. Up sprang my father
"Hush !" cried Tom "do you hear that !?
That's the dragons bugle" Yes in
deed it was! Louder and nearer il
sounded! A tremendous tramp oil
horses followed, and then pistol-shots
were fired, right at the door of the
house, it seemed. Then strong, manly
voice cried out: "Give it to them
boysl No quarter! Sabre them all
Down with the scoundrelsw w Such a
changing of steel was never heard before
There seemed to be no end to it. Cries
and supplications on one side; impreca.
tions and shouts of triumph on the
other. Then, comparative stillnes:
reigned for a moment, and the captain
(God bless him) called out from below
els any one up there? 7" My father
sprang to the window, and cried out
"Captain, you have saved usw Then
quick as thought, he pulled the ladder
to the window; two stout dragoon!
caught it as it touched the ground
then, through the smoke and fame, W.
all got out. But the ladder was to-
short, and was several feet below thu
window. Father had to drop us al
down to the first rung, one by one
Liph Just recovered his strength in tim,
to get out. There was no time to lose
We were scarcely all down before
sheet of flame shot up through the trap
door, and in another moment the who'll
cabin was in flames. We were huddleC
together next the stockade. 1 thel
, recollect seeing my father throw hi
arms around the captain, and hearth,
embrace him.
Day was Just breaking. Off to tn
right the smoke of Hanks's house wa
drifting away on the wind and to tn
left, the Starbucks' cabin was rolling VI
blacRvolumes of smoke to the sky Th
red men had made a simultaneous at
tack upon the cabins comprising tn
, colony.
Oh, what morning! What "a spec
tacle in our stockade! A dozen dea,
, Indians lay in front of our door, and a
many more wounded lay outside Som
! had fallen as they tried to escape. Oh
! ON +ba bor;zon flor Won oan 600 q o,rao