Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-01-07

muHltioH were carefully gathered up
No one thought of burying the dead
The Indians would return for that pur-
pose. Ii not let the wolves and vultures
have their feast.
Let us trace the fate of Huntley. You
may be one of those who believe that
the Indian has been grievously wronged.
You may believe he has the sentiments
attributed to him by novelists. You
may have read that the feeling of mercy
has a lodgment in his heart.
When the man rode out Of the fort on
his scout he firmly believed that the In
dams had withdrawn. He was brave
man. None but brave man would
have periled his life to back his
opinions in the face of the warnings he
received. When he rode out for half a
mile and turned to the left the last
doubt vanished. The Indians had with
drawn. He had made assertions and
proved his sagacity.
Next moment, as he disappeared over
the crest OF the ridge, he found himself
in the midst Of q horde of Indians lying
in concealment. He uttered one loud,
farreaching shout of establishment, and
was pulled from his horse to be menaced
to silence by tomahawk and knife But
there was no need to menace him
A great terror seemed to have frozen
the blood in his veins. He could not
have cried out again had they pricked
him with their knives. He was dumb.
He was helpless.
The captive's signal of alarm had been
heard and understood at the fort, and
the Indians, angered that their trap had
been exposed, now showed themselves,
and affairs turned as related in the pre-
vious chapter.
Brave men have no fear of bullet,
grape and canister when charging a
battery. Men go to the gallows without
fiinching. The fear of death itself
makes but few towards. 1t was what
would be before death that broke this
strong man down and held him in chains
of terror. He looked about him with
! horror in his gaze. His bronzed face
| grew deathly white. His lips had that
| bloodless, blue look which the lips of
! the dead carry.
! 1t was not until he had been cruelty
| beaten about that he partially threw
! off the horrible incubus and secured
strength enough to go forward and make
the appeal he was told to make. He
heard his own voice, but he could not
recognize it.
Huntley had been mounted to be
taken away before the attack came. H.
deed he and the two warriors guarding
him had already made fair start to the
southwest and were beyond pursuit.
After ride of ten miles over the broken
ground halt was made at grove
which appeared to be an old camping
ground. AS the Indians fled before the
vengeance of the whites they made for
this grove, and at length all who had
escaped death were reunited here.
A score of tigers starved for days
could not have been in worse temper.
Wounded and unwounded alike thirsted
for vengeance. Had they held hun
dred prisoners each one would have
been put to the torture, and yet the suf-
ferings of all would not have placated
the defeated and decimated band.
They had but one.
Fifty enraged savages rushed at him
to chop him to pieces with knife and
tomahawk, but the chiefs restrained
them. A speedy death would be too
merciful and deprive them of antici-
pated enjoyments. AS soon as the scouts
posted on the distant ridges signaled
that the white men were moving for the
forks there was no occasion for further
delay.
Huntley's demeanor had undergone
change. That dumb terror which had
made woman of him had passed away
and his own brave spirit had returned to
make q man of him. He reproached
I
the fiends to spare his life. He thirsted
for revenge. He exulted over their
bloody defeats.
Let pack of wolves follow on the
trail of a brave man and he may seek to
outrun them-dodge-esc He will
fear them. Let them drive him into a
cul de sac from which there is no escape,
and he will turn and fight them, even
with bare hands, and die fighting.
A sapling was cut down and driven
into the ground for stake, and dozen
savages ran about to collect fagots for
a fire.
Huntley's eyes blazed. His bonds had
become loosened and his guards were
watching the preparations. Uttering
the hunters warwhoop and wrenching
himself free in the sudden effort, he
twisted a tomahawk from the belt of
the nearest savage and began to lay
about him.
He could not escape. He realized that
he would be quickly overpowered and
tortured with additional fervor for every
blow he struck, but he dashed here and
there with the strength of a giant and
the frenzy of mailman.
Crash! Crash! Crashl
The Indians were taken by surprise by
the hunters sudden break, and then
there was such terrible change in his
looks that they shrank away appalled,.