The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-06-12

OF the now half-maddened Woodburn
rushed forward and fell upon thei
nank with fury that threw thei
pierced and staggering columns int,
such disorder and confusion as to de
stroy their last INDUCED hope of es
Gaping in body from their infuriatet
pursners. And, the next moment thei
whole force broke, and abandoninl
their cannon and baggage, fled in
tumultuous rout from the fed, som,
escaping along the road, some yield
ing themselves prisoners on the way
amt Others to avoid their outstrippint
pursuers, seeking refuge ia the sur
rounding forest. But neither road
nor field, nor forest, were this time per
mitted to afford many of them thu
means of escape, or shield them from
the harassing pursuit of the exaspera
ted Americans, who, in furiously
charging columns, overthrow, sho
down, or captured, all their broker
and flying bands within reach in the
road and open grounds, in small par
ties, or singly, closely followed anc
boldly encountered them in the woods
whose dark recesses soon resoundeo
with the scattering fire, the clashine
steel, and the hurrying shout, of the
pursued and pursuing combatants.
But of the scores of promiscuous
conflicts and personal encounters which
marked the finale of this memorable
triumph and made SO conspicuous the
pro"ess of the heroic men by whom il
was achieved, 1t were in vain for us,
within our limits, to attempt de-
scription. There was one of these en-
counters, however, with the approach
ing development of our story requires
to be more particularly noted. And,
for this purpose, We will now change
the scene to wild glen, far within the
depths OF the forest, where, hedged in
by an impossible morass in front, and
deep lodges of rocks on either side, a
gang OF half dozen of the fugitive
tories, headed by an officer in British
uniform, had turned round with the
desperate ferocity of wild beasts, to
give battle to the indefatigable pur-
suers, who had followed them from the
battlefield with vigilance and speed
from which there was no escape, and
with such demonstrations of marksman-
ship as had already told fatally on
nearly half their numbers on the way.
But those pursuers as wary as they
were brave and untiring, with the
double object of concealing the in
equality of their numbers, which were
bat four and securing the advantages
that choice Of positions IN all sylvan
contests especially affords, had instant
ly fallen back to a line of hastily Sc
lected coverts, stretching across the
gorge, and had now become wholly in
visible to their advancing foes, who
soon paused in turn, and, shielding
themselves behind the bodies of trees,
stood eagerly peering out to catch a
sight of the objects of their aim. Sud
denly the sharp report of a rife burst
from bush covered cleft in the rocks
nearly abreast of one of the exposed
TANKS of the tories; and the tallest of
their number, with wild start, and
half uttered oath, houndered into the
bushes and fell. The next moment, our
old acquaintance, Bart, who, having
conveyed the ladies to their destina
ton. had sped back to the battlefield
in time to participate in the last part
of the final action, was seen stealthily
creeping around the point of the ledge,
from which the fatal shot had issued,
and approaching the leader of the con
cealed assailants, who, as thu reader
may have already anticipated, was no
other than Captain WOODBURY..
Bart SAID the latter, you have
executed my order as no other man
could. But whom have you slain? Not
Peters?"
"No-couldn't get him in range
but did as well, though-may be better
fixed out the only one whose aim
was 'fraid of-the big, fierce looking
whelp that shot father Herriot in our
last sally in the field the same that
made that bullet hole in your coat on
the way here and the same, too,
who would have finished me likely
but for the CHANGING of his bullet ON a
bush before me. But l have settled
all the grudges with blow"
"You have done bravely but did you
discover who they are-any of them
besides the leader Peters?''
Eyes, two of 'em, who are, as Dun
ming, and Piper surmised, Dave Red
ding and Tiger Fitch, that beauty OF
con stable, who bothered us so in old |
times, at Guiford. He's now some
kind of an officer among 'em, guess
and, dead or alive, I'm bound to have
him though, if you've any particular
plan, captain, IN follow it, instead of
going round to 'tother ledge for another
pick Of the flock"
81 have one and that is, to draw
their fire. or most of it, and then rush
upon them. You may creep on, then,
to Dunning and Piper, and. with them,
contrive and execute some plan to
effect that object, and will stand here
ready to order, and lead the charge,
at the favoring moment.
Bart now, with the noiseless tread
Of cat, rapidly glided away into the
bushes and disappeared on his errand.
In few minutes, the cracking OF
sticks, as if under the pressure OF eau
tiously moving feet, was heard in a
thicket of bushes within full range OF
the guns of the tories, who, now safely
,pscopced behind the new coverts, 70
which, in alarm at Bart's fatal shot
they had betaken themselves, instantly
turned their attention in that direction
and, levelling their pieces, keenly
watched for the expected exposure OF
he persons of some of their oppon-
,nts. Soon the dim outlines of two or
.hree apparently human forms could
ne traced IN the thicket, rising up one
after another with the quick, hesita-
ing motions of men intent on steal
ny reconnaissance of the objects be
ore them. And, the next moment,
very tory, but one, sent the contents
# his gun at these supposed forms of
he lurking besiegels. But instead of
,eholding, as they had anticipated.
he riddied bodies of the dreaded foe
Iropping to the earth, they soon dis
covered, to their astonishment and dis
,,a,. 4hnt thu emnfx coats and cans. |