Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-04-14

thrift, both these neighbors had already
cleared and burned Oft tracts of FROM
forty to fifty acres.
| Nathan Wilson and his wife had four
boys, named Reuben, Joseph. Hiram
and George. Reuben was already nearly
twenty, and an expert woodsman.
Siias Cary was less favored. His
boys, as he was wont jocosely to remark
to his neighbor. ''were all girls save
one-little Josh"
| But his girls. of whom Mercy was the
eldest, were almost or quite as good as
boys for all the lighter labors of the new
farm, and helped their father at his
planting and harvesting.
The distance from Cary's house across
to Wilson's was not much more than q
quarter of mile. A woll-beaten path
led through the stumpy clearing and
down tho bank TO tho brook, over which
there was a rude log bridge. Beyond
the brook were clumps of bushes and a
few maple trees; and still farther on the
way led through an open clearing again
TO Mr.. Wilson's house.
Mercy. with Tige and little Josh, had
been gone on her errand perhaps three
quarters of an hour. The sun had set;
and meantime Silas Cary, with the three
younger girls, came in from the field
where they had been planting corn and
potatoes.
Where are Mercy and Josh?" asked
Silas, taking down the cedar buckets
from their pegs, preparatory to milking
the two COWS.
ave sent them to Wilson's for the
brass kettle" replied Mrs. Cary. "lt's
time they were back"
"They are comingw cried Patience,
as faint outcry was borne to their ears.
II hear Josh shouting Tag! to the
Wilson boys"
The lad was indeed shouting, but not
to the Wilson boys. As he and Mercy
crossed the bridge on their way home
with the kettle, the dog suddenly growled
and drew back. Mercy hurried across,
and little Josh followed; but as soon as
they had reached the other end Of the
bridge tive hideeusly painted savages
leaped out from the alders there. and
seiEing them by the wrists, dragged them
away along the hollow of the brook.
Tige dashed at one of the savages and
would have pulled him down; but the
redskin beat him off with his tomahawk.
Mercy screamed, and the lad cried out
and kicked his cantor, but was beaten so
cruelty that he dared not resist further.
Mr.. Cary, now out in the yard with his
buckets, heard Mercys piercing scream.
He rushed into the house, seized his gun,
and dashed down the path to the LOG
bridge, past the bushes. He met Tige
Il ILL.,
head was bleeding from u cut; his hair
stood up like bristes; and his eyes glowed
like live Goals.
Its Indians. It's Indians" muttcred
Cary, stopping short. "Tige's after
helpw
Presently he heard quick step up the
path on the other side, and saw young
Reuben Wilson coming hastily down to
the bridge. Mercy's scream had reached
his ear, too, where he had been at work
mortisipg fence-posts with postaxe,
beside the path, about fifty rods distant.
Not ten minutes before, he said, Mercy
had stopped to chat with him. Us she
passed. lie had only the POSTAGE in
his hands.
"Reubenw hailed Cary. in tones which
suObk lIOIn u luiucI uuSuiSh. uo
Indians have got Mercy and Josh"
! Reuben turned without word and ran
back to his fathers house to give the
alarm and get his gun. Hearing the It'd
ings, Nathan Wilson at once despatched
Hiram to the block house, to summon
assistance. Joseph he babe guard the
house, and sent George TO Cary's place.
! II en- seizing his own gun and ammuni-
! ton, he followed Reuben.
They overlook Cary half mile up tho
brook, and came out on the shore of the
lake, n mile father to the northward, just
as the last CLEAN of the fading twilight
shone on the water. Family as it
cleaned, it was still sufficient to disclose
the light imprint of canoes bottom on
the soft sand. Near by were several
moccasin tracks. Tige had led the way
directly to the place.
That's bad," murmurcd the elder
Wilson, with sharp glance along the
darkening shores. There are two.
We sha'n't come up with them tonight"
The savages had gained u start suffic-
lent to have already doubled a point on
the shore, six or eight hundred yards dis
tant. The settlers had no boat on the
lake. The pioneer knew that the lndi-
ans could paddle their canoe faster than
the whites could follow them through the
woods by night, around the shores.
The contour of the lake, too, was such
that the whites must take q wide circuit,
and cross two tangled swamps.
1t was probable that the Indians would
make directly for the head of the lake,
six or seven miles distant; yet there was
no certainty of this. They might veer
away to the right or the left shore.
After a hasty consultation il was de-
cided that the elder Wilson should return
and get pick of provisions, and lead
the party which might come from the
block house; while Curry and Reuben,
with Tige, should skirt the lake in the
hope of discovering where the INDIANS
landed. The night bado fair to be very
dark.
| At about ten o'clock in the evening
eight men arrived ut Wilson's place with
their guns, from the garrison house; but
by this time clouds had gathered, and
they deemed il unwise TO enter the forest
until daybreak. Cary and Reuben,
meantime, had pushed on around the lake
and reached the mouth of a small brook
near the head of it, by the time the
clouds obscured the stars.
Not only did they find moccasin tracks
in the sand here, but other smaller tracks,
which Cary had no doubt were those of
his children. The trail led along the
bank of the small brook. But Cary
thought it imprudent TO go on before
Wilson and the expected party came up.
Reuben took Tige and went on alone.