The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-11-22


afterwards remembered that he had
been gazing at the pretty vision, with
look OF dazed admiration, and, on quiet,
confidential exchange of notes, friend
Collins and l came to the conclusion
that Frank hadn't heard word the
girl said. Now, if such possibility had
occurred to us at the time, We could
have charged our minds with her words.
Bur, alas and lass, we left it alto our
young and handsome driver.
Following faint trace of wagon
track, VIC plunged down q tangled ra.
vine and on up the hill wherever the
brush seemed the thinnest.
By and by, We began to ask,
Where's the spring."
"what spring." asked Frank.
"The one where the girl said weshould
leave the team"
"Oh, did she? Hep, here Whoa,
Bob! Whoa, Bill!
Step by step, slowly, steadily, we
moved onward and upward, now swerv.
ing little to the right and now to the
left.
But still there was no spring, no place
to h tch our horses. We began to real.
ize that we were off the track. We
found ourselves on the back of ridge
that seemed to ascend in either direction.
Which course should We take? Under
friend Collins direction we secuted up
the steep slope to the right, examining
the old overgrown and abandoned log
way, over which not wheel had turned
for years. Frank followed cautiously
over the almost hidden trail, till, at hast, Z
We concluded tho team could 60 moi
higher.
Then, friend Collins and Yours Truly
pressed up the rocky mountain, through
underbrush and fallen trees, over logs
and stones. with many struggle and
heroic effort,
At last, the voice OF Collins, away up
the heights, came floating down like the
pIoverbial Excelsior"
"We're all right, I've found it."
Then we might have scored point
by singing in our peculiarly enhancing
basso profundo,
"Hold the fort, for am coming"
But we were too busy ourself holding
roots and limbs and brush, and trying
to catch our failing breath, as we scram-
bled toward that voice from the upper
wilderness.
At last, we got there, and stood with
both feet on the broad ramparts. This
wall was from six to eight feet high on
the inside, and sloped down the noun.
tain just so far as the contour Of the sur
face made it necessary. We should say
the wall would average forty feet in
thickness at the base.
We secured a splintered limb from q
fallen tree and placing an unfolded
newspaper in the shattered end, reared
it high on the works and fixed it with q
base of sticks and stones. We didn't
scrawl upon its folds, "In Hoe Signo
Vinces !" for it was Democratic paper,
and neither Of US had brought our poll.
tics or religion along.
But, Brother Collins, who had been
lost on that mountain bofore, suggested
that this Haunting signal would serve as
our base of exploration. Without it we
might wander round and round, never
knowing where to descend to our team,
or how to get out OF the wilderness.
We made an excursion into the in.
teiior of the works, where we found
that quite broad expanse had, within
few years, been under cultivation.
1t is said by those who know, that, on
this mountain is every kind of wood
that grows in the State and every kind
OF stone found within its borders.
At point known as the "Citadel'
which faces the main entrance, is free
st,ne quarry, from which was taken the
stone for the first Court House.
Right opposite this Citadel" which
overtowers the walls, are three sally
ports, SO arranged that they converge
at it's base. An enemy seeking entrance
would have been subject to attack from
front and flank and overhead. The sit
uation shows the genius of military
master. Near by, is what is supposed
to be the entrance to an underground
passage from the fort to the valley be.
low. There are also wells, and other
evidences Of provision to resist protract
ed sieges.
There were other sally ports, and
other elevations facing them, doubly
advantageous for outlook and defence
J From the thick forests and the brush