The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-08-01


of the danger that threatened him
Fortunately a elump of trees hid him
from their sight We began to breathe
more freely, for they had now gone
beyond the field but suddenly one of
them happened to turn around. They
have discovered him! they have dis
covered him! = shrieked my sister, al
most fainting with terror. And really
they had all stopped, and were look
ing In the direction where Joseph was
STOPPING down, gathering DIP the
branches of a tree which he had just
cut down. He had no suspicion of
danger The Indians, concealed by
the trees, were now only a short dis
tance off. Suddenly we heard the re-
pdTt of gun, and Joseph fell to the
ground: Believing him dead, they
advanced boldly; but the ball had only
grazed his head and he was stunned
for a moment. He quickly recovered
himself, and, making a breastwork of
the branches of the felled tree, seized
his gun, and in an instant two of them
were stretched stiff corpses on the
ground. The others, alarmed, made
a precipitate retreat toward the edge
of the woods, and then a quick firing
commenced on both sides. Joseph
was fine marksman at each shot he
disabled an eriemy. Three had al
ready fallen. we awaited, in agony
of apprehension, the result of the NOR
tai combat, which would not have been
doubtful had it been only an ordinary
enemy that the savages had to contend
with. But Joseph was a formidable
adversary He fired rapidly, reload
ing his gun with the most perfect
GOODNESS, while the balls were whistling
around him. Placing the muzzle of
his gun between the branches, he made
the sign of the cross on his breast at
the moment of taking aim then, pull
ing the, trigger, we counted another
Indian less. Every time | saw a new
victim fall, 1 could not repress trem-
or of delight. Joseph's unerring ball
had just struck fourth enemy. We
began to hope, when we discovered
one of the savages creeping along on
the ground behind him. No serpent
could have ADVANCED with more cum
ming or address. Without shaking a
pebble or disturbing a leaf, he APP
preached slowly at one time conceal
ing himself behind little knoll, then
under a thicket of brambles, only ex-
posing himself when he saw Joseph
busy taking aim. Finally he arrived
within two steps of him without being
seen. Then, stopping, he waited until
Joseph had reloaded his gun. With
out suspecting the danger behifid him,
he raised his gun to his shoulder to
take aim then we saw him lower it
quickly and look around. He had
heard a slight noise in the bushes near
him. He raised his head and listened
an instant, then leaned toward the
right, and then toward the left, with
out perceiving anything; for the say
age was lying fiat on the ground, be-
hind a pile of branches. Feeling
entirely reassured, he again raised his
gun to take aim. At the same mo-
ment, the Indian, with an internal
smile, raised himself from the earth,
and, just as Joseph was preparing to
immediate another enemy ;he brardished
iast Rls fhf indian fell I but aJE 9oseph I had also
fallen, struck to the heart BY the cow
ardly fiend The wretch then pro-
ceeded to scalp him, after which he
plundered him of his clothes, in which
he arrayed himself.
"Paralyzed with horror and fright,
we thought no longer Of Saving our
selves. My sister, in her despair,
pressed her baby to her heart, and
threw herself at the foot of a erpcitix,
which she seized IN her hands, and
muteIv covered it with tears and kiss
es, while l, too, utterly overcome,
threw myself on my knees beside her,
and mingled my tears aid prayers
with hers. Poor motheri she did not
trenrble for herself, but for her child
that dear little angel, whom she
so adored. It was indeed a beautiful
babe, scarcely eighteen months old,
and had already begun to lisp Nam
ma %, my God = cried my sister
between her sobs, if must die, l will
ingly give up my life but save, oh
save my child = Then, embracing it,
and bathing it in her tears, she clasped
it to her heart, and sank to the floor
ltlOiS NN''N' N---
alive myself, | tried to sustain her,
and had her in my arms, when jos
seph's murderer entered, followed oy
his cruel companions. Without utter
ing q word. he advanced toward us,
and violently snatched the child from
its mother. She had not heard them
enter the room, but, when they tore
the child away from her, she shuttfer-
ed and suddenly recovered her con-
sciousness. The savages, exasperated
at having lost seven of their comrades,
now only thoughC of blood md ven
geance. The assassin of j Joseph, hold
ing the ehild at arms length, looked
at it with the diaboficaf expression of
a serpent charming his victim before
striking him. It was an angel in the
grasp of a demon. The monster
.p,ilad Safap alopo could haua IauOh-