The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-10
1Vf GREAT VERMONT STORY !
qHE RAN GERS
OR,
THE TORY'S DAUGHTER.
81 JUDGE u. T.. THOMPSON.
VOLUME III.
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
"The first that hears
Shall be the first to bleed"

Thn hanter, followed by his young
,''ra,Ie now leaving the rest of the
g,nJIto pyoceed to their contemJ lated
9 ,'ni Inv the main road, struck off into
s sa, woods To the RICH and, with silent
n1 ,apid steps. led the way to the
au| shore of the pond. Here,
s"Jing as he seemed to have expected,
nonarious canoe, dug out from the
tynnk of some huge pine, he drew it
t,rth from concealment. beneath a
n,ass Of fallen trees projecting over
IN" hank. and bidding Bart enter with
the oars. and placing one knee on the
,,aru. with a grasp on the sides, gave
ash with his foot from the shore,
which sent his craft surging out far
info the open eXpanse of water before
him. Before applying the oars, how
syer and while the canoe continued
IN move under the impulse it had thus
r4ceiyed, its occupants employed them.
.alyps in bending their heads to the
water. aud listening for any sounds
that might indicate the presence of
otbprs around on the pond. The
nioht as it was yet mOonless, and as
tbe sly was overloaded, was conse-
duentlN udih tht . anu INC duNtil-
tnrprs could distinguish little else but
the dark outlines of the Green Noun
tains that rose high in the western
heavens, casting, by their huge shad.
Avs, an impenetrable pail of darkness
aver the intervening space beneath,
from which not Il sound rose to the
ear. save an occasional short croak
Of some waterfowl, or the low,
suIlpn dash of the waters along the
shores.
Nothing out on the pond, guess,
hut looms. ducks, and sich like"
quietly observed Bart, raising himself
from his listening attitude: nor can
make on, any sounds from the nest
If EN- you say there is over in the
shore Wonder. Ma'be they've pulled
an stakes an are Oft with their traps,
the wimin folks and all shouldn't
wonder, single bit.
"Now | reason a little dittcr differ
pnt." replied the sergeant They
may be getting uneasy and suspicious
because their spies we took there at
Collins didn't return: and keep still,
and put out their fires lest the alb
sent ones be logged back and their
TtlltLNbuS lllUS dlsItN but L tttI
don't believe the company would clear
out till they knew what become of
them. They are still there, I'm apt
10 think: so we will now put forward
first up north a piece, on this side, and
then across and down to a little cove
there is near their encampment.
So saying, Dunning took up one of
the oars. and with long vigorous, but
noiseess strokes, sent the boat rapidly
ahead while the other took a posi-
tion most favorable for lookout. In
this manner, and taking turns at the
oars, they soon by the course they had
marked out for themselves, reached
the western side of the pond, and,
heading round, moved cautiously along
the shore towards the hostile en-
campment.
All there one-two-yes, three
camp fires, can der catch gimmers
of Occasionally" softly exclaimed Dun
ming, rising up in the boat, and peer
ing ahead for observation. was
rght--the Otter resolutions are there,
snug in their quarters, but had wit
enough to build their fires behind logs.
or something, SO as not TO be seen
from 'tother side. We are within the
Otter matter of three hundred yards
Of 'em now so carefully, Bart, and
don t let your oar Craze the boat or
anything to give out the least sound
for they've ears, its der probable as
well al we. ~
A short time now sutficed to bring |
them TO the small cove, at which the
hunter had proposed to land. Here
under the screen of an imperyious
tange of brush and fallen trees which !
INTERVIEWED between them and the foe, |
they drew up their boat on to the |
shore They then, after taking oil |
their shoes, which they left in the |
canoe, carefully crawled up the bank,
passed round the thicket, and paused |
10 listen. The sounds of voices con
eersing in low tones in one spot, the
slow steps of a sentinel in another, and
the snoring of some hard sleeper IN a |
third, were soon detected by the quick
ears Of the anxious listeners.
"As thought, whispered Dunning.
putting his mouth close to the ear OF
the other; 1.-The head ones are dltter
suspicious and watchful; but we must
try what can be done-at least to ma
the spot where they've put the gals
There's a a dltter old shanty used to
camp in about fifty yards ahead ; ana
that is probably the best they We
got, I've been thinking they may
have cooped 'em in there. Suppose you
who are the lightest and smallest,
creep forward to it for ditter dlscoV
cries. / will follow half way, and
wait. "
Without demurring to the suggestion,
Bart Immediately set forward, OF ms
hands and knees, III the direction I'D
dlrated by his companion. Carefully
removing every dry twig and leaf from
each place where he wished to bear MS
weight, and moving as noiselessly as
the proving cat along the round, ne
made his way onward till he had
gone far enough, as he judged, to reach
the expected shanty; when he paused
IL listen and reconnoiter. But now all
seemed perfectly still Not the sllght-
st sound of any kind reached MS
'ars; while it had in some unaccount-
able manner suddenly become so
pitchy dark that he could not distin-
guish a single object before him. Ana
be began to feel confused and DOUBT
Tul about proceeding, when by the ac-
lion of those secret and undehnaDie
perhaps which it is sala,
Ne sometimes become apprlsed Oh tne
presence of others before we are III
ormed by the senses. the all at once
'ecame impressed with the idea that
anne person was near him. He there
ore strained his senses to the utmost
Il irving to discover what obJects
night be before or around him put
" for while. TO no purpose. IN
hort time however, his ear caught