The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-05-22
A STRANGE SLIDE.

lake. locked in its wintry covering Of ice.
The time. In the intercolonial days,
when the French and English struggled
for the mastery over this great land. The
crack, of rifles, the thrilling ,war-whoop
of the Indian, the horrible groans OF
agony and the rattle of steel mingled in
strange confusion.
A great band of French and Indians
had struck smaller party of Colonial
rangers, upon the crest of the hill above
Lake George. Taken. by surprise, una
BILE to escape, these gallant men turned
upon their assailants, with the ferocity
OF wolves at bay, and fought as men can
only fight who have no hope of escape.
All, every hillside In our country has
lake chain to the gulf, and perhaps no
state suffered more severely than New
York.
We can call to mind scene like this,
of whicn Governor Morris spoke 80 elo-
quently:
"Let me recall, gentlemen, to your
recollection the bloody field upon which
Herkimer fell. There were found the
Indian and the white mar, both born upon
the banks of the Mohawk, the left hand
clutched in each others hair, the right
grasping in the grip of death the knife
plunged in each others heart. Thus
they lay, frowningw
| Such scene was this. The rocking
pines had looked on many bloody
struggle, for the shores of the silver
"Horicon" had been stained with blood
hundred times, though seldom had a
more desperate encounter been seen. 1t
rested with the patriots only to sell their
lives as dearly as they could, and for
every scalp borne back to the st. Regis
village, at least two warriors must 90
to their last home.
| But the tide of red warriors'closed in
| darkly about them, and one by one the
| desperate men went down, fighting to
the last, and even as they lay gasping OH
the CORY snow, striking at the foe.
Major Conrad left the colonists an
old companion of Putnam ON many a
CORY field, a man of invincib!e courage.
He was confident to The last, cheering
his men by word and example, until a
great rush of the enemy scattered the
weak remainder of his force to the four
winds, and the brave major stood alone
upon the hill, with hundred weapons
leveled at his heart. He saw his danger,
and whirling on his heel, plunged be-
meath the branches Of a great pine, and
was lost to sight for moment.
The Indians had seen him fight, and
thought that such man was better
taken alive; and at a word from their
chief, not another shot was fired, land the
Indians spread out to right aud left, and
advanced into the cover.
There was one side they did not guard
that overlooking the lake upon the
east, for the rocks rose abruptly from
the waters edge, at no point less than
two hundred teet below the cliff, and
sloping at an angle of thirty degrees.
No man, they thought, would dare at
tempt the descent, and they only aimed
to press him closer and closer to the
cliff, where he must yield himself pris-
oner or die fighting.
He, too, saw his danger, and tried to
| slip out OF the Gordon of the enemies who
hemmed him in. But the sounds he
heard on the right, left and rear, con-
vinced him that there was no hope of es-
cape in that way. He moved forward
slowly, keeping out OF sight, and the In
dians followed as cautiously, playing
with him as a cat plays with mouse.
| The brave major groaned in spirit, for
1t is agony to brave man to die like a
rat in a trap. Suddenly he started, and
the light of firm resolve came into his
eyes. 1t was his only hope, and utter
| ing wild, defiant shout, he threw off
all disguise, and squaring his shoulders,
| began TO run across the open crest OF the
hill toward the precipice a few hundred
lyards ahead. The Indians saw him
|
they knew that he could not go far in
that direction.
| But Conrad had hope, though wild
one, and he gave them back their shouts
with interest. On. he went, flying over
the snow, and the circle of his enemies
closed in upon him. He reached the
crest, shook his cenched hand at his
enemies, and STOPPING suddenly, planted
his feet firmly upon the slopIng face OF
| 81 nj II AxY:, %l,o
slope, the snow moving about him like a
cloud.
The Indians stood aghast, for they had
not dreamed that any man could be
hardy enough to attempt so wild a feat,
where a projection in the snow might
hurl him headlong upon the firm ice far
below. But in less time than it has
taken to write dozen words, he was
gliding safely across the firm ice, two
hundred feet below.
4 The rifles OF the Indians were lifted,
but the chief who led them, in voice OF
thunder, commanded them to desist.
"rhe Great Spirit wills it," cried the
son of the forest; land who shall dare to
resist when His voice is heardW
Conrad made his way safely to Fort
William Henry, where ne was received
as one, risen from the dead = for two
men had come in before him, announc.
Ing MS death upon the hill.
4 The shark fishery OF the Northern Ice
Sea in the Bay of Tereberskya and the
) peninsula Kola has recently been re-
vived. Two kinds OF shark are found In
this region, the Greenland shark and the
basking shark. They frequently assem-
! BILE in shoals, and boats engaged In the
fishery are often surrounded by hun
dred or more of these sea hyenas greedy
for prey. The Russians fish near the
coast with small boats holding four men
Anchoring at certain distance fromtht
: land, they sink avessel pierced witt
holes, containing oil, tallow, or other fat
which the sea currents distributes In tht
neighborhood. This attracts The sharks
and they are caught with baited hooks
| attached to iron chains, as they could in
, stantly bite through the strongest rope
Three of the men pull the fish toward tht
, boat, and the fourth stands ready will
a wooden hammer weighing twenty
pounds to strike with all his force tAl
moment the head appears. The shark II
then cut open, the oil taken and Its swim
| ming bladder inflated. 1t is then cas-
/ adrilt to float, as il allowed to sink th'
other sharks would eat it and not cart
I for other bait. Sometimes the sharks sur
I \ u L E-.-a a