The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-06-15

tanCes from one another IKE ueer-
hounds after their prey. Hugh had the
advantage of them by not more than
thirty wards, distance that seemed fear
fully short to the straining eyes OF poor
Mary. All parties were armed, the In,
dians both with gun and tomahawk, and
Hugh with his rifle only. But, as it ap'
peared, the firearms Of the savages
CHANGED not to have been loaded when
Ii ey first set eyes on their victim. The
WEAPON of the white hunter, fortunately,
was in different condition; and while
he was still considerable way from the
cottage, he turned round, raised his rifle
with instant and unerring aim, and the
foremost of his pursuers iumbled on the
sward lileless corpse
Some time was lost by this act, rapidly
executed as it was. In truth, the loss
seemed likely to be fatal to the white
hunter, who recommended his flight with
the distance between him and his sur
viving foes alarmingly diminished. But
help was at hand, and from an uneX-
pected source. Being more than SIX
miles distant from any other settlers,
and neither her fat er nor any others OF
the family being at hand, Mary Waters
had spent some moments in maddenlng
anxiety, hopeless Of all aid, until she be-
thought Eer of one chance OF help, such
as it was. She flew to the place where
her fathers two dogs, for the reason no.
ticed, had been temporarily shut up,
freed them, and led them in the 'direc.
tion of the chase, exerting all the speed
which her limbs were at the moment ca
bable of. The faithful creatures, Of a
powerful breed, and accustomed to bear
hunting, speedily recognized the ap
proach of strangers and elemies, and
needed not the cries of the maiden to
send them at full speed in the required
direction. They reached the spot just as
the Indians seemed to be gaining and
closing on Hugh. The willy savages had
not seen tae advance of the dogs without
some preparation for. their reception.
Posing his tomahawk with scarcely even
momentary abatement of his speed, the
foremost of the two Indians threw the
weapon at one of the advancing animals,
when few feet from him, and buried it
in the creatures body. The other In
dian was not so fortunate in a similar
aim at the other dog The tomahawk
had missed its mark, and in an instant
the animal had sprung at the throat OF
the savage, and pulled him to the gronnd.
A single glance behind him told Hugh
that the dogs had effected change, and
rid him for the time of one pursuer.
Painting and exhausted, he resolved to
make stand against his now single foe,
and terminate the contest, if possible, by
struggle hand to hand, ere the. pros
trate savage could free himself from the
dog, and come to his companions aid.
With this determination, he suddenly
wheeled round, grasping the barrel of
his musket with both hands. At this in
stant, the pursuing Indian was not ten
yards distant On seeing the white hunt
er's movement, the savage also made a
sudden stop, and assumed the same atti-
tude. Each equally fatigued, and with
breasts heaving high with toll and ex-
element, the two adversaries stood gaz-
ing on each other as if by mutual con-
sent, to regain breath for the deadly
struggle. Both OF them were men of
tall stature, and with forms combining,
in an extraordinary degree, power with
activity. After pause, the men ap-
peared at one and the same moment to
think of loading their guns as the pre-
ferable mode Of determining the contest,
in the exhausted state in which they
were. Their hands moved simultaneously
to their powder-horns, and most mo-
mentous trial Of quickness in loading be-
gan. Both of them handled their arms
with the deXterity of praCtised hunters
In the same second of time they rammed
their cartridges, and threw their ram
rods on the ground. With the quickness
of lightning the Indian applied his pow
der-horn to the printing, and in that mo-
ment of fearful import it is not surprs-
ing that his hand trembled, daring as he
was. Bat Hugh did not apply his horn
to the same use: he staked his life upon
chance. Striking the breech of his
rife violently upon the ground, he raised
the weapon, aimed, and his bullet went
through the heart of his enemy! By
the plan he had adopted, he had trusted
to his rifle priming itself, and the second
of time which he had thus gained, had
decided the struggle. 1t was but sec
ond that he had gained, for, as the In
dian fell, the bullet from the mouth of
his ascending rifle touched the very hairs
upon Hughs head
All this had passed before the eyes of
poor Mary, who had continued, in the
unthinking agony of fear and love, to fly
in th3 direction in which her lovers
danger lay. She reached the scene of
the contest we have described before
Hugh had raised his eyes from the body
of his fallen adversary, and she fell into
his arms with an exclamation of mingled
terror and joy. Her presence, which
would have been fatal to both at an ear
lier moment, now reminded Hugh of the
necessity Of preparing his arms for the
possibility of another encounter. He
laid the insensible form of his mistress
gently upon tie grass, and loaded his
gun carefully but quickly. Seeing no
movement however, on the part of the
PROSTATE Indian, who lay at no great
distance, he concluded that the faithful
dog had mastered the savage, and held
him still in its power. Hugh then ap.
piled himself to the task of recovering
Mary from her swoon. She opened her
eyes with shudder, and on seeing the
well-known countenance of her lover
bending over her, she murmured: HAS
this been dream-a fearful dream?"
mo, my dearest Mary" replied Hugh;
"it is no dream that you have been
preserving angel to me this day 1t is
no dream that you have snatched me
from the brink Of the gr vel"
A glimpse of the dark body of the In
dian did more than these words to bring
back to the young maiden's mind sense
of the reality of the dreadful scene that
had passed, and the remembrance was
so terrible that for time she relapsed
into state Of almost insensibility.
While Hugh was endeavoring to re-
store her to perfect consciousness and
composure, by the use of every endear
ing term that love and gratitude could
suggest to him, third party, breathless
and exhausted, came up the spot. This