The National tribune., 1902-10-16
LOST IN THE WILDERNESS.

dreams p Must L perish here, alone and
helpless here in the wilderness, when
am needed SO much! 2
The voice as ~weH rs the words was
that-of a person plunged into hopeless de-
spair.' And if. ones surroundings have
aught to do with ones feelings; then th'
speaker had a full measure of all his
woe, He had thrown himself upon q io'
hufnmock of earth rising from tile snor
of a small body of water. the only brlgh
thing in all the Scene, a windows as j
were,4ffanaeds in, by walls of somber pines
and frs. Mountains hemmed him on hls
right~And left, in front and behind, anc
even the air he breathed lacked the brae
ing lghtness of the hills, but had the -op
pressipe- heaEiness, as if that, too, was
prisoner in this. rugged CELL. 49,
He felt, and not without reason, that
no human being could be within many
miles Of him, ay. he felt with as good rea-
son, that the foot of man had never traced
its imprint on the primeyal earth Of this
isolated spot Then, as he CHANGED to cast
his gaze across the lakelet before him he
started with mingled surprise and joy. ii
there were no human nigh. the rising
moon. flinging its advance beams over the
mountain range behind him discovered to
him on the side of the opposite summit the
profile of gigantic man. Each feature
was outlined with wonderful fidelity to
nature, from the massive forehead to the
frm-set chin, and he rubbed his eyes and
looked a second time before he could con-
vince himself that it was a stone face set
there like a lonely god upon lonely
throne. Then he fell to watching it, and
the stupid task for time served to make
him forget his anguish, while the moon,
playing at hide and seek among the clouds
silently climbed the painless hills of the
sky, throwing first smile and then a
frowu over the craven features of the
Old Man of the Mountain, until in 'his
frenzied state of mind he began to feel
that even the .spiritless countenance was
mocking him in his distress.
Not sound had broken the deathlike
stiffness of the solitude save the tiresOme
roll and roar of a cataract in the distance,
and, finally, tired of looking at the sight
less face, and weary of the unending tu-
multi of tumbling waters, he closed his
eyes and placed his hands over his ears.
But, in the midst of this respondent atti-
tude, he suddenly lowered his hands, and
springing to his feet, craned his head that
he might catch a sound which had been
waited most Unexpectedly to his over
taxed senses. In fact, at FIRST, he thought
it must be some wild hallueination of his
disordered brain, and that he had gone
mad. As he continued to listen it did not
cease, but grew in volume and melody,
until he knew it was the music Of bugle
horn blown loud and clear. And as the
narrow point Of the wedge-iike valley
above him received the glad notes, they
flung them back to him, in wilder acclaim
than even that which beat in his bosom, as
il nature herself was rejoicing with him.
In his bursting joy he flung up his hands
and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Hil-loa-ioan --s-e-..z--------
The song ended abruptly, as if his voice
had Jared discordantly upon its music;
but in moment two sharp notes seemed
to make reply to his appeal, while he had
only to wait the coming of the player,
hardly caring in his abandon Of grief
whether he be friend or foe. Hearing no
further sound he soon came to think that
after all ne had been deceived, when he
was somewhat startled to suddenly find
himself confronted by tall, weather.
beaten figure, clad in buckskins and armed
with long-barreled frearm, which he
held in a perpendicular position in front
OF him, while he looked closely upon him,
saying finally in a mild, persuasive tone:
Aweel, nows me, so it be you who
builds signal fires along your trail in the
country o the inemy, and then hollers like
loon for the foolishness you have done ?''
"A man lost in this abominable wilder
ness, will wager crown, would be glad
to call even an enemy to him."
Il opined as much, / swan l did. So
you are lost, are you, in this wedge o.
country. You don't look like a chap that
would get lost easy, nor one who would
commit an indiscretion. You have a
strong limb. clear eye, and l should
3edge, with proper training, q foot that
might trail an inemy without blundering
into an adjustment
My name is Eden Harwood, and /
must confess that my experience in New
England woods has not been very long,
but it has been enough to last me life
time. The settlement where l have been
living about year has been raided by the
red skins, and besides killing several men,
women and children they have carried off
many Others as captves to their ren.
devious somewhere in these endless woods
was trying to find out the fate of some
of my friends, when l was discovered by
q party Of the red-skinned demons, and in
trying TO get away from them / ran into
this out-of-the-way corner, and got SO be.
wildered in trying to find my way out that
could not tell whether / was standing
on my head or feet. To make my situa
ton worse / lost my powdec. so l have
come mighty near starving TO death. Who
are you"
"a discreet question, It may be. but
hardly necessary, seeing l have come will
the token o, peace. the horn that my an
cesfors carried in their native land. II i
has been wound many times to stir tn,
warlike spirits o. the sons O Glencoe, i
has as well wound the songs o. peace. /
SO much does not satisfy your curiosity
which 1 can see is now uppermost in YOU
mind. seeing there is likelihood O. find
ing the trail out O. this amazement, +
satisfy sich / will add that the reds, will
whom have consorted at times, saw fit t
call me 'Taconica,' which means in thei
tongue, "A son o the forest which cal
ne'er say is disrespectful o. the truth. Th
whites have thought proper to pick u
this sign, and SO they call me 'The Fol
ester If / ever had another name
which l will not preyicate the truth t
deny. it would sound out o. place here
as the one l know here would be out {
conceit in the halls O. my fathers. U
north the Melicites call me 'Speakin
Eye out o. conceit, as I opine. for til
humble knack it holds in trailing tn
inemy. You may have your choice i
these, or il il fiatters you more to give m
another it will not matter with the oil
man. This comrade o. mine," tapping TIL
barrel OF his frearm, "who, like mysel
IS not without cross. seeing its stock
British and its barrel Frincb. is or DaI
ger,' whose tongue speaks but one lal
guage, and that in a single word II
has ne'er betrayed me, and your condu,
will mark his faithfulness to you. Yo
are from Great Meadows, and your frient
are in an amaZement which puzzles yo
to unravel."
what you say is true, and at this m
ment she who is dearer to me than n
own life is captive in the hands of Il
n n