Tip Top Weekly No. 80: Frank Merriwell as 'Anchor' — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

30 TIP TOP WEEKLY. Home, Sweet Home. BY PHILIP KENT. In the fall (autumn) of 1695 a band of roving In- dians swooped upon the northern outskirts of Haver- hill, Massachusetts, and captured Isaac Eradley, aged fifteen, and Joseph Whittaker, aged eleven, as they worked in the open flelds near Bradley’s father’s house. Bradlay, wea may add, was somewhat short for his age, but full of life and atrength, and exceedingly shrewd. Josaph, his fallow captive, was a.big, ovar- grown lad, sluggish of brain and limb. Away to their wigwams on the shores of Lake Win- nipiscoges the Redskins carried their prey, and then they billeted the two lads with an Indian family~a nan with his squaw and two or three bairns. In this household Isaac kept his ears open aud his wits about him, Ha thus contrived to learn enough of his captors’ language to catch the drift of any chat they carried on in fis hearing. Henee he gathered that they meant to march farther north into Canada in the coming spring, and to take him and Joseph with them. Pleasing tidings! For it threatened death to all hope of escape. He knew that already a deep and trackless forest, a range of rugged jountains, and many a swol- len torrent Jay between him and his dear home; and that, once in then untrodden Canada—untrodden at least by the white man’s foot—all these obstacles world be multiplied with the distance tenfold! Clearly, then, there was no time to be lost, and thenceforth his brain was ever busy planning the how and when he. should give his captors the slip. After the winter, with its roaring winds and snow- atorins, came in due seasou the soft southerly breezes and budding foliage of spring. And still the lads ware wisoners. For why? A burning fever had chained sane to a sick bed for weeks, during which delirious dreams banished all sober thinking from his brain. Thanks, however, to the careful nursing of the squaw, his mistress—and anything but a cruel one—he sinwly recovered health and strength. And with returning health aud strength returned his eager longing for ‘home, sweet home,.’? He began to plan afresh. By April his plan wasripe. But he breathed not a word of it to his brother captive till the afternoon of the very day during whose approaching night he meant to execute ii Then said Joseph, ‘‘I shall run away with you.’’ ‘‘But,’’ objected Isaac, ie slea so heavily you'll never wake. And if I call yon, shall wake the Indians, aud neither of us will escape. Better let me get clear away, and bring a rescue party from Haverhill to seé you free.’’ Joseph, however, niade a wry face at this suggestion, and, on his sol- emnly pronising to lie awake till the decisive mo- ment, Isaac consented that they should make off to- gether. Night fell, and both the lads Jay down in their berths in their master’s wigwam, where he too slept with his wife and bairns. Joseph, spite of his promise, was s00n asleep and snoring lustily. Not so his companion in captivity. Hope and fear between them kept him wide awake—the hope of success, with all its promised bappiness—the fear of failure, with all its threatened ains and peualties—the certainty of prolonged, per- apa lifeJong, thraldom, unless, indeed, the tomahawk euf it short. At length came midnight. Its deep hush wrapped the snrrounding forest and the neighboring lake, save that ever and anon the anxious watcher heard its ripple lapping on its sandy beach. Then slowly and stealthily he rose from his leafy couch, and, stepping noiselessly and gingerly over the tawny bodies of the slumbering ins, seized his master’s flint and steel with some driel moose-meat and bread. These he hid in the bushes a few yards from the wigwam. He then re- ‘turned to rouse the sporing Joseph. He shook him as rongbly es he dared, ‘“What on earth d’you want?’ prunted the sluggard, loud enongh to wake the deafest Redskin that ever eoiled himself in blanket. Rack sneaked Isaac to bis berth, and began to snore as for s wager. And there for a while heJtay in fear and trembling lest dull Joseph's stupid blunder had ruined all. onder of wonders, and blessing of bless- ings, not a Redskin of the party stirred! p he rose again, and, leaving the lubberly marplot to shift for himself, stole, swift and noiseless asa shadow, out of the wigwam, and made for tbe spot where he had hidden his store of needments. He had nearly reached it when—judge of his fright! —he heard the sound of rapidly approaching footste close behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, fully expectiug to find himself in the clutches of his Red- skin owner, Butnol to his unutterable relief, the moon, peeping through the drifting clouds, revealed .to him no gaunt Indian, but the squab figure of his slum- ber-loving fellow slave, to whom it had occurred as he lay twixt sleeping and waking, that freedom isa boon worth some slight extra exertion. Then, after loading thenselves with the needments, the runaways set their faces southwards and plunged into the forest, directing their steps as best they could without chart or compass, for the far-off log-huts of Haverhill. - Till daylight dawned they pushed ahead as fast as tree and bush would suffer them; running at full speed whenever an open glade gave them the chance. But the first rays of the rising sun warned them to creep into a hallow tree, long since felled by a hurricane; and there lie hid, in the hope of balking pursuit till dusk rendered it safe for them to resume their journey. They had not Jain there long ere their ears were greeted by a most unwelcome sound—the baying of dogs in the distance. Pale as death, and trembling from head to foot, the lads lay and listened. Ths bay. ing grew louder and louder, and within ten minutes of the first alarm, the dogs were barking round the boys’ place of refuge. What could they do to help themselves in this parlous plight? They spoke to the dogs—old friends, who bore them no ill-will. The dogs ceased barking, and began to wag their tails niost amicably. To seal the bond of friendship the boys tossed them their whole stock of dired moose-meat. A somewhat thoughtless action! It not only emptied their larder, but filled the dogs’ mouths with a tell-tale meal. The Indians, who soon niade their appearance, could hardly fail to ask themselves: ‘‘How came the dogs by that dried meat in the depths of this forest??? Mar- vellous to relate, the Redskins—the runaways’ master with four friends—took no heed of the dogs, but left them to finish their feast, and fared onwards, actually brushing the lads’ wooden cave as they passed. Their four-fonted guides quickly gobbled up the rest of the meat and trotted after them, Not till nightfall, however, did the boys dare to quit their lurking-place. They then resumed their march, shaping their course at right angles to that taken by their hunters, Next day they thought it to hide again. But on the third they trudged manfully onwards. both day and night. Meanwhile, their supply of bread failed, and they fed on roots and buds till they chanced ona _ pigeon and a turtle, which they killed, and ate raw, not ata sitting, but b travels day and night as fast as their weary legs and sore feet would allow. The sixth day brought them to an Indian trail. This they boldly followed—’tis hard to say wty—till they suddenly found themselves rooted to the spot by the _ sight of an Indian encampnient, where a score of swarthy figures sat jabbering round a blazing fire, For a few moments fear held them spellbound, but quickly drove them back the way they came, and that at rac- ing speed. The dread of recapture winged their feet, but it conld not save them from jagged stone and sharp thorn; and morning found the lads, with torn and gashed and bleeding feet, seated on the bank ofa brawling stream, and mingling their tears with its waters. Poor boys! We may readily forgive them those tears. They were hungry, weary, footsore, and —to crown all—they felt that they had lost ground in that headlong retreat, whereas till then their course had lain, they believed, steadily homewards. Not yet, however, did Isaac lose heart. His sturdy sense told | bim that the stream must have an oytlet—probably in some lake ~-possibly in the lake hard by his home. He therefore resolved to follow its windings down stream. Se, after breakfasting on a few raw roote, the pair cheerfully addressed thenseitves to the task befor y degrees. Thus they continued their. ” COIMIC OOO KS, EO