The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1895-09-17
FLIGHT.

FLIGHT.
Marcus Rulings, with his wife and baby,
was settler in the Juniata in 1865. While
blowing one day Rulings was informed by
a Mohawk Indian that a band of hostile
savages was but half a days journey away.
In the next valley, three miles across
the mountain, a settler named Hugh Glen
had taken up grant of land in the pre-
vious year. The family consisted of a man
and wife and two full grown boys The
Mohawk admitted that he had not warned
the Glens, and he refused to do so now as
he had to push on as quickly as possible TO
the main river.
He advised Rulings to flee at once But
the Swede was too brave and unselfish to
abandon his neighbor to almost certain
butchery.
"what shall do, Elsa2'' he said. "My
Lrst duty is to you and the child"
''You must warn the Glens, Mark, "
was the plucky woman's reply. "There is
still plenty of time if the Indians are half
days journey off While you are gone
will get ready to start for the fort
Hulings kissed his wife and child and
hurried from the house with his musket
over his shoulder. 1t was O'Clock when
he reached his neighbours clearing.
Hugh Glen lay dead inside the door, al
most within touch of the body of his wife.
The boys, James and Archibald, lay near
the window.
For moment mad thirst for vengeance
drove all else from Hulings' mind. Them
with keen pang of anguish, he remem-
bered his defenseless wife and child and
instantly he was out of the house and
speeding like deer across the clearing.
Twilight was shrouding the blue river
when he staggered across his own clearing.
He saw the black horse saddled and bridled
and tied to sapling. Then the door few
open, and Elsa came out with the baby In
one arm and a musket on the other.
/ "All is ready she said. ''In that bun
die on the floor are some things we must
take along 1 hid the cradle and q good
deal else in the bushes and drove the COW
and sheep back into the woods. Our poor.
kind neighborsl' =.
He helped his wife into the saddle and
gave her the sleeping child and the bun
| die. Then, with last look at the deserted
home, he strobe into the forest, leading
the horse after him.
After an hour the fugitives reached the
Susquehanna and forded a shallow stretch
of water to an island-now known as Dun
can S island-that lay abreast of the mouth
of the Juniata. There was yet the main
channel of the river to be crossed-a three
quarters of mile wide surface of swift
and troubled water Then eight miles
down the other shore was Fort Hunter and
safety.
Here take my gun, Elsa" he said,
''and stick tight to the saddle. I'm not
going to mount till get across. can
pick the way better on foot
But just as he entered the water his wife
checked him with low cry Of dismay.
"Oh, Mark, the money! 1t is still in the
crack of the logs beside our bed. How
could have forgotten it?'
Huling had never doubted that the
money was in the bundle or in Elsa's bo-
som. For moment he was vexed and in
clined to sharp words.
"Give me the musket, he said. 81 am
going back. Twenty gold sovereigns are
well worth the journey. We have saved
them for three years, and now the time OF
need is coming. We will be Obliged to
start afresh if the ~savages destroy ou
home and crops"
His wife begged and entreated him not
to go, but he judiciously reasoned with
her and finally won her reluctant consent,
She firmly refused however, to push ON to
the fort alone, and this point he had to
yield.
Hulings helped his wife to dismount
with the sleeping child and placed them
and the horse amid thick bushes little
back from the lower end of the island.
Then, musket in hand, he hurried to the
upper point and waded noiselessly to shore.
On reaching the clearing Hulings found
his fears realized A bar of yellow light
was flashing on the ground before the cab
in door, He crawled on hands and knees
to the rear end of the cabin and peered
through crevice in the back room. Here
he saw painted warrior holdings blazing
torch in one hand, while with the other
he ransacked chest of drawers.
He quickly decided what to do. Gliding
to the door, he entered and gained the
threshold of the inner room without detec-
ton. Then the Shawnee Strengthened up
with start, to find himself covered by
Hulings musket.
Just then Rulings discovered bloody
scalp dangling at the savage's belt, and he
recognized Hugh Glen's iron gray locks
His blood boiled with rage, and he was
about to reverse his musket and brain the
assassin when he made a startling discov-
cry. A looking glass that hung over the
bed showed him second Indian creeping
up behind him with raised tomahawk.. u.
Like a flash Rulings wheeled about
with yell and fired point blank. He saw
the savage reel and fall, and instantly he
turned again to confront the Indian in the
back room.
The latter had by this time grabbed his
gun from the bed, but before he could
raise it to shoot the maddened settler was
upon him with dubbed musket. There
was dull crash, and Hugh Glen's muir
derer lay sprawling on the floor with a
broken skull.
Hulings snatched the Indians gun and
jerked the bag of gold from between the
logs. As he dashed for the cabin door a
third Shawnee stepped upon the threshold
The Indian hurled his tomahawk, but
Rulings lodged the weapon and then fred
Without awaiting the result of his shot
he fled to the inner room, slammed the
door shut and trampled out the torch. He
took his own gun from the bed and drop
ped the other With two blows he demol-
ished the window sash and shutter and
leaped through As he sped across the
clearing behind the cabin he heard yells
and the reports Of half dozen guns.
Rulings made a short detour toward
the mountain before striking the bride
path. Then he hastily reloaded his musket
and started off with long rapid strides.
In running he was match for any In
dian.
He was far from exhausted when he
reached the Susquehanna and started to
wade to the island.
He pushed on, alternately swimming
and wading, and came safely to the east
bank Then he initiated the cry of
screech owl, signal of long standing be-
tween himself and wife, and almost i'm
mediately he got an answer from little
distance.
Hurrying down the shore, no found Elsa
and the child on the horse, and in a canoe
near by were Gideon Galbraith and his
son, neighhors who lived ten miles up the
Juniata, aI
The whole party reached Fort Hunter in
safety that night and remained there dur
ing the perilous and trying weeks that fol-
lowed.-Exchange.