Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-03-08
CONTINUED from 9th page. ]

bu6 OHo 80 powerful ana u6rOe ana the
other so weak and so mild, yet with a
spirit as dauntless as the bravest.
"We had no means of telling the time,
but though l tried to reason with myself
that minutes must seem drawn into
hours under such circumstances yet
came to feel that the sun would never
rise again. 1t was about 2 o'clock in the
morning that we came to halt, whether
in valley or on hill in forest or q
clearing, l could not tell. My father
came back to us as CHEEKY as ever, though
knew from my own condition how no
must have felt, He told us that there
was vacant cabin at hand, and that
Bradley thought it would bewell to halt
here and rest till daylight.
"Mother and ] were so cold and stiff
when we were lifted from our horses
that we would have fallen had not the
men held us up. Not the least mysteri.
GUS incident Of that gloomy night to me
was how our guide found this cabin in
the intense darkness, for he spoke about
it not as a place come on by chance, but
one with which he was we'll acquainted.
"We were led into the cabin, and |
supposed everything was so wet that it
would be folly to think of fire and i'm
possible to start one, but in this was
mistaken. While mother and sat on
the saddles that had been carried in to
furnish us with seats, Dick Bradley pro-
duced his flint and steel-every noun
taineer carries these primitive appli-
ances-and tearing off some dry splints
and bark from the inner side of the logs
he soon had blaze, and following that
fire. Except the four log walls and the
roof, which must have been the better
part, for it kept the clay floor dry, there
was absolutely nothing to this cabin.
The pile of ashes ON the big hearth
showed that the place had once been in
habited; but, miserable though l was,
did not wonder that the builders had
abandoned such wretched place.
Dick Bradley threw a circle of pick
cts around the cabin, and although he
was entirely ignorant of military meth
DDS he arranged to visit them every
tailed relief. While this was being
done the men not on picket carried in
logs to be used as fuel or for seats and
then sat down, and soon the cabin was
filled with steam and the odor of toast
ing flannels. AS soon as the saddle
blankets were sufficiently dry bed was
made for Mrs. Peters and her daughter.
They showed their appreciation of this
thoughtfulness by removing their shoes
and lying down, with their saddles for
pillows.
But" continued Miss Peters, "al-
though thoroughly wearied, sleep was
out of the question. The whistling of
the wind through the surrounding treeV,
the ceaseless beating Of the rain on tho
clapboards and the hoarse whispering
of the men crouching beside the fire
kept mother and myself awake, as the
roar of battle might not have done
"When my fathers watch told that
daylight was due, the men about tho
fire began to eat of the corn bread and
cooked pork they had brought with
them, and Dick Bradley and father
went out to visit the pickets With the
dawn Of day the rain ceased and the
wind died out. Mother and l left the
cabin to look about us. We saw the
horses standing with lowered heads and
dropping hips at the chimney end of
the cabin. We were In the midst of q
forest, seemingly on top of a considera-
BILE hill. Down through the trees and in
a direction we took to be the north we
saw the red rutted trail that looked like
q fresh wound.
"While we stood looking about us
we saw father and Bradley coming hur-
tiedly back and evidently much excit-
ed. Father did not appear to be weary,
but there was an anxious, panied look
in his eyes, such as we had not noticed
there since the day the meeting house
was burned, though there was never an
hour since then when there was not an
occasion for worry"
The pickets had reported suspicious
men seen in the distance since daylight.
These men were gathering along the
line Of the trail over which the fugitives
must pass OH their way to the north.
They were in considerable force, and
that they were not friends was manifest
from their actions
The cabin might afford some shelter
from storm, but it was worse than
useless as a place of defense On a spur
of the hill to the north and about
quarter of q mile from the cabin Brad
ley had either discovered that morning
or knew i'll advance of place that Of
fered advantages for defense. Without
any eXciteRent he told the men in and
about the cabin that there were stran-
gers in sight, and that fight might be
looked for before they could resume
their journey.
The men seized their rifles, the horses
were resaddled, and as Mrs. Peters and
her daughter preferred to walk the an
imals were led to the point indicated.
This was bare projection of the hill,
where mass Of irregular rocks afford
ed place Of concealment for larger
force than required it now, but as it
was some distance from wood and wa
ter it was not desirable place in which
to stand protracted siege.
The fugitives were not kept long in
L. L. i Il q -