Connecticut western news., 1884-08-20


 can be imagined, when he saw bright line of flames spring up on the outer edge of the field, toward which he was flying, and heard the shouts of the red devils, who had set this new trap into which he was running, and who now caught glimpse of him springing mad ly toward them.
 Suspecting that some of their in- tended victims might be secreted amid the wheat, they had fired the edges all about the field, to insure their destruc- tion.
 The shouts of the savages that had caught sight of Harry were echoed by their companions, and nearly the entire party surrounded the field, determined to hem him in, so that there should be no escape from the flames for the last survivor of their victims.
 The heart of Harry Phillips sank within him. A circle of roaring, hissing flames around him on every side rushing swiftly toward him, and darting out red tongues as if in haste to wrap him ln robe of fire; and outside of this a circle of blood thirsty savages, whose cruelty was equal to that of the blazing element that hemmed him in.
 The youth had brave heart, but 1t was like lead in his bosom as he compre- hended the terrible danger by which he was surrounded.
 With the speed of a race horse the red flames came on behind him; already they were scorching his body with the heat of fiery furnace, yet why should he stir fl om his place?
 By going further on he might prolong his life for moment, but already the flames in advance were rushing toward him and the relief would be but momen- tary; but we cling to life so long as it can be spun out, and Harry, though he saw no hope of escape, sprang forward, and moment more the red flames were cracking where he had stood.
 A few yards further on and the huge trunk of fallen tree lay before him.
 The limbs had been cut off by the set tiers, but the body was so huge that they had not attempted to remove it when the field had been prepared for the sowing of the wheat.
 As his eye rested upon it newborn hope of escape flashed to the mind of the danger -encircled youth.
 He we'll knew that the trunk of the fallen pine was hollow and that the cav ity was sufficiently large to admit of his crawling in for a considerable distance. Here was an escape from the flames, at least, and it might be that the savages would think that he had dashed through the flames and escaped in some direction under the cover of the dense smoke and | would not think to examine his hiding place.
 The shell of the tree was of consider able thickness and he knew that if it burned readily it would be some time before the flame could penetrate to him and in the interval the savages might | take Ulelr uoparbur6.
 To adopt this expedient and to put it into execution was but the work of few moments, and ensconced at the other end of the aperture he waited with al- ternate hope and fear for the onset of the flames, and time that should decide his own fate.
 Not long had he to wait.
 With roar like a tempest they came on, and he could feel their hot breath through narrow crevice ill his shelter, which had been rent in its giant side by falling, and which served as breathing place, without which it would have been 1 impossible to have obtained air, as his body and clothing filled the aperture almost completely.
 For a few moments the flames ragged
 above him like the blast of a furnace
 but the heat was soon exhausted and
 the surge passed on; but Harry could
 still hear the flames cracking above
 him, and knew from this that the tree , was burning; but this gave him no un easiness, as he knew if he remained
 in his present position it would be severa
 hours before the fire could reach him, l 1t did at all, which was doubtful, as ht l found from the touch that the inside o the shell was wet and soggy, and, there fore, would not burn readily. , Wait and trust was all that could b, done. Wait until the savages had left ) and trust that that would be soon, con } yinced that under the cover of tn
 smoke he had made his escape. It was but few minutes from tn time the fire was set before all that re mained of the field of waving grain wa l the charred black earth, from which tn
 smoke was rising in many places; ant , no sooner had the flames subsided, s that it was possible for them to venture ) ere the savages, who during this tim . had kept up their internal yells, wer 7 hunting the grounds for the remains ( 5 the youth, who they were positive Ina 3 not escaped from the fiery circle wit , which they had surrounded him. r It was several minutes before th
 ground had been fully explored, and 5 their amazement, they could find n B trace of the one whom they doomed @ the fire; and they had nearly arrived @ the conclusion that he had escape e under the cover of the smoke, when tn d attention of one of them was attracte
 by the burning trunk of the fallen pine l, He called to the others, and in mo d ment the whereabouts of the youth wa @ known to them all. Harry, in forcin Is himself into the aperture, had disturbe
 the light soil at the end of the log, an d where his feet had been indented WI 'f still plainly visible, notwithstanding tt 1T fire; and the little hope that had crel le into the heart of the youth, went out, fc if | vunlI Inc kpaxv Inv tbair xuor1o 4lot l.,