The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-08


81 see your idear' the boy cried and he
did ass he was told. Father and son had
lain there, buried in the hay, scarcely half
am hour whom through a chnk in the
barn, they say seven Indian warriors sur
rounding the house. The savages stag
eered and some of them fairly reeled, for
they had swallowed SO much rum as TO
be quite drunk. Several had bloody scalps
dangling from their belts
y had scarcely hoped for it," Mr..
SpaHord whispered ''but they are so
drunk they can hardly follow the trail OF
The snowshocs. and maybe we will outwit
them after all"
After staggering around the house some
OF the indians went inside while others
came toward the barn; but after glancinr
az the empty stalls they reioined their fell
lows, who set mp loud shouting Pretty
soon two or three of them rolled out of
the house a cask of New England rum
and knocked the head In and commenced
TO drink heavily. Then some more pull
ed two or three feather beds out into the
moonlight and ripping them open with
thef KNIVES, commenced to throw the
leathers up into the air, dancing and sing
ing, and every few minutes drinking again
| ana again of the rum. one after another
OF the sayages became so intoxicated as to
fan down in the snow, and then thew
! rolled over and over in the feathers,
| which stuck to their bodies. until finally
every one of the band lay there stupeAed
with liquor, unable 10 move hand or foot
All this time David and his father hid
den III the hay scarcely dared to breathe,
Tor Tear OF betrayine themselves, but now
mad come the moment for action
I'VE can't tell how many more of the
saV9ses may be coming along. and so we
dare not XIII these, although Il would he
an easy matter" said Mr. Spafford. ''IPs
almost daylight too, and we must be
moving. Open the rear door, David. and
push the bobeled out on The suow-T guess
the crust is thick enough to bear It now.
| Then heip me down, and we viii make one
| desperate effort to get away"
The brave boy crawled noiselessly down
| from the hay NOW. and did as he was bid
! He placed quantity of straw in the
| sleigh, and wrapped his father up In u
buffalo robe, for the cold was intense.
! Then he stepped in himself as he did So
| giving a slight push with one foot. The
| sleigh moved slowly, but soon gathered
| momentum, for back Of The barn was a
| steep valley running down for five miles
| to the frozen river; and in all that sweep
| there was not tree, or stump sticking
| up above the snow, for all had been burn
| ed off in a great forest fire years previous.
| Within half minute the sleigh seemed
| to leap forward like q deer, and then it
| shot down the mountainside with the speed
| Of an express train The noise made by
| the whirring runners on the hardened
| snow aroused some Of the Indians, and
! Fastening through he barn they saw the
escape Two of the saVages fired their
muskels at David, who was standing up
| in the sleigh steering it: but they were so
drunk that their bullets went wide of the
| mark A third seized n long board and
! with q fendish YELL threw himself on 1t
| headong as boy nowadays will throw
| himself on a sled. This huge, painted
shrieking savage came sliding down the
! hillside at amazing speed, but he could
not catch up with the heavier sleigh. SIN
| he was so near that Mr.. Spafford dared
| to take no chances, and resting his musket
| on the seat Of the sled, he aimed it and
| pulled the trigger. There was a puff of
! smoke a loud report, and a horrible yell,
| ana the Indian seemed to leap off his board
! into the air, half turning as he did so;
| and when he struck the snow again, roll
| ing over and over until ne came to fun
! stop, and lay there dead, his dark body
| outstretched on the white crust
! Ibid you hit him, father?" asked David.
| He spoke with difficulty, for he was con-
tinually exerting his full strength in guild
| ing the bounding sleigh, and could not at
! ford to look back for an instant.
Eyes, and he's done for, my SON."
Then both were silent On and on sped
| the sleigh down the mountalnside, and to
! David the snow had curious appearance.
1t seemed nd If he were sitting still while
the great white mass rushed by him up
hill But the cold, cutting wind in his
face was so strong as 10 dlspel this illu-
sion. Ii almost took away his breath. One
mile, two miles. three. four, five. they
went, until the river was reached; and
then came the most dangerous place of
al. for the sleigh leaped Off the bank and
fell a yard below to the ice. But it landed
right side up, and by good luck there was
clear space of ice straight across where
the wind had swept a broad path in the
snow. In far less time than it takes to
Tell of it,, the sleigh had skinned over to
the opposite bank, and there its occupants
met. a company Of farmer soldiers and
Iumbermen who had heard of the raid
from the messenger on snowshoes, and had
started to rescue them. But David and
his father had rescued themselves, so they
borrowed a horse to take their sleigh for
ward 10 the town, where Mrs. Spaford
aud her little girls were staying, and the
company of rangers FASTENED on In pursuit
of the Indians. Henry Edward Rood