The Secret Shot; Or, The Rivals Of Misty Mount — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

THE BATTLE OF KING’S MOUNTAIN. when the deepest hush presided over the sleeping camp, that a swift but silent canoe, impelled by the stealthy paddle of an Indi- an, glided out from beneath those overhang- ing trees above the camp. It neared, and, at length, touched the shore, without a splash, and the inmate leaped lightly to the turf. At first he crouched close to the ground, and made his way to the top of the bank with the utmost caution, for the call of the distant sentinels‘ had made him aware of the presence of armed men. But, seeing that the camp was asleep, hevraised his tall figure to its full hight, and began to examine the different forms, as if searching for some one. Near by lay the sleeping colonel, his face upturned to the moon, which was now almost in the zenith; and, as the keen eye of the savage rested upon him, it was evident that this was the form for which he was seeking. As noiseless as the shadow of a cloud, the Indian glided up to the prostrate sleeper, with parted lips and a haggard, anxious face. And yet he drew no knife, he detached no tomahawk from his belt, as one might have expected, had the Indian been seen; no, he only drew a little serap of smooth white birch-bark from the pouch at his belt, and, stooping on one knee, made it fast to the colonel’s coat-sleeve. Having accomplished this without arousing the sleeper, the Indian glided back to his canoe as silently as he had left it, and, in a few moments, was far down the river, and out of sight. ; When the shrill blare of the bugle aroused the rangers at break of day, to re- sume their march, the colonel was amazed to find the piece of bark pinned to his sleeve. His astonishment was augmented after he had detached it and read thereon, penciled in rude capitals, as if by the hand of an urchin at primer-school, these words: “ Fear not for the Lily of the Vale. She ts alive and safe. _ W ANDALO.” Not doubting the genuineness of this warning, as he was aware that Wandalo could read, and was, therefore, capable of the inscription on the bark, the colonel was, nevertheless, astonished to think of how the missive had been fastened to his coat. He made no mention of the circumstance to any one, however, contenting himself with sharply questioning the sentinels. Of course they knew nothing, having Been posted back from the banks of the stream, so that the colonel gradually came to the correct Conclusion that it was by the river that the 10 8 had written was true. message had been accomplished. He had never shared in Mr. Gwin’s opinion of the trustworthiness of the Indian—that is, he believed him to be in some sort of complici- ty with the Tories; but there was some- thing about this warning which seemed to bear the impress of truth. He knew that, whatever of reyenge and hatred Wandalo might cherish against the party who had: slain his sons, his fatherly fondness for the lovely heiress of Misty Mount was genuine and profound. This led him to conclude that the savage really knew that what he Perhaps the colonel, like a drowning man, who catches at the veriest straw, was a little over-credulous in thus hastily imbibing comfort from the mys- terious missive; but his mind was woefully depressed, and any thing in the shape of hope was grateful and solacing. At any rate, it was with a much lighter heart and sunnier face than the day before that he now proceeded at the head of his troops. Again halting on the banks of the river as night fell, this time but a few miles from the base of King’s Mountain, the band were met by a courier from General Gates. By this messenger the commander received in- telligence of the manner in which the red- coats were intrenched on the mountain, alse a map of the region, with an order from the . General commanding him to begin the at- tack upon Ais side of the mountain at seyen o’clock in the morning, when the codperat- ing forces, under Campbell and Sevier, would, shortly afterward, storm the hights from the southern slope. They slept on their rifles, with a downed line of pickets, and, at the first streak in the sky, were mounted and cautiously on the move. ' “King’s Mountain” is hardly worthy of the dignity with which its name would seem to invest it—being merely a hill of considerable elevation, the lower half ofthe ~ slopes being rather lightly timbered and of easy ascent. Nevertheless, the upper por- tion of the mountain is exceedingly rough and steep, thickly grown with pines and firs, and affording an excellent natural de- fense; while the summit, being almost as flat as a table, thirty or forty acres 1 rise tent, and comparatively unwooded, forms 4 admirable area for the eigen Ms guns, 48 ell as the maneuvering of troops. | | is The riflemen could see the soniten sign flaunting above the ery siacan around the summit; and it was soon © oO Connicoookxe com