The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-04-01
4 Mountain MISSIONARY.
By ALFRED R. CALHOUN.
Copyright, 1895. by American Press Associa
toni
Continued.

II will say to my good sisters and to
the children who must remain behind,
as their coming with us would hamper
the march, that it will not be long he
fore the troops of the Union swarm in
these mountains as tho Cunicderates do :
now, and that their coming will insure |
protection to all We must move with
secrecy and rapidity, for there are spies
all about us And now | ask those who
are willing to follow the lead of Broth
err Bradley to Camp Dick Robinson to
take their stand at tho back part Of the
smithy"
1t was as Father Peters expected. Ev-
cry man at the Crossing and every boy
who could shoulder rife, and these
mountainous learn to shoot when very
young crowded to the back part of the
building.
This meeting was held the day after
/ Christmas, 1861, and about the middle
of the afternoon. In order to keep their
movements secret, it was decided to start
north soon after dark that night AS
Father Peters was even more hated than
the blacksmith, and his wife and daugh-
ter would have been homeless and help
less If left behind, an exception was
made in their case, it being the old cler-
gyman's intention to take thon u..E TO
the old homo in tho western s..y. of
northern Ohio as soon as the cached
the Union lines.
There Wa, little preparation to make.
Two of the blacksmith's horses were set
apart for Mrs. Peters aud her daughter
to ride ON. The 40 men in the party
were to carry their rations and ammu
milton, the former being necessarily
light, first, because the supplies at the
Crossing were limited, and i'll the next
place because it was believed that CAM
Dick Robinson, 10 miles to the north
west, could be reached in five days
In order TO keep up the impression
that there were still men at the Cross
ing ready to resist an attack, it was ar
ranged that the women should light tn,
beacons on the hills as soon as Dicl
Bradley gave the order to march. Thi
, was done so promptly that for hours tn
. fugitives could see the coppery glow o
the fires on the clouds to the south, ant
+ this strengthened the hope that Their
would be no pursuit
- Although at the best the roads in thi
region were wretched and now almos
,e impossible, it was to their advantag
that the Cumberland river was at thei
back and no formidable stream in front
How we moved i'll the right direC
zion that night must ever remain to III
a mystery, says Miss Peters. "Befor
hn1 ,n hnnr W
1 were all as wet rs if we had been souse
I in pond, and mother and l, being com
| paratively inactive, were chilled to tn
bone | did not fear, because | did no
care for myself. tried, with ohatterin
teeth, to whisper words of comfort t
- mother as the men who led our horse
, went splashing thigh deep through tn
ice water of some swollen stream, but
lg always found her more cheerful an
hopeful than myself Then | would pic
ture father walking ahead with tina
= giant, Bradley, through the darknes
and mire, and l could not but pictur
the one so powerful and fierce and tn
other so weak and so mild, yet with
spirit as dauntless as the bravest.
1--WE had no means Of telling the time
but though | tried to reason with myse
that minutes must seem drawn int
hours under such circumstances yet
came to feel that the sun would nevo
rise again 1t was about 2 o'clock in tn
6 morning that we came to halt, whethe
in valley or on hill in forest or
clearing, / could not tell. My fathC
came back to us as CHEEKY as ever, thong
| l knew from my own condition how /
must have felt. He told us that thel
was vacant cabin at hand, and tn;
Bradley thought it would be well to ha
here and rest till daylight.
Mother and were SO cold and sti
y when we were lifted from our hors
that we would have fallen had not Il
men held US up. Not the least myster