The Mohegan Maiden — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE. 27 apprehensions for the next few days. At any hour the war- painted savages might cross the river, and fall upon the half- protected settlement. Measures were at once taken to put the town tay as com- Ylete a state of defense as possible. An old cannon which had Jain idle for many a long year was scoured up, and © loaded, after being well tested, to make sure that it would not deal more death to friends than foes. Every fire-arm was brought into requisition and put in order, that there might be no failure when the conflict came. The most tiusty men were placed upon a list, and a detail kept constantly abroad | Scanning the forests and closely watching the river for miles up and down, to catch the first tidings of any move upon the part of the Narragansetts. — But days, a week even passed, bringing no. ptt and, gradually, the alarm began to subside. What was more pidb- able than that the Indians had pursued some other route ? They would have been almost certain to assault the place, had they remained in the vicinity. Still the scouts tracked the woods, and the general precautions were maintained. Archibald and his Mohegan friend were among the most Vigilant of ‘those on the watch. On the third day of their guard, the sun was low behind the trees upon the western Mountain ranges, and evening shadows would scon settle. The twain stood upon the bank of the Connecticut river, the Scene ‘of their late encounter with the Narragansetts. Turner was gazing across the waters, shading his eyes with his hand, and looking anxiously, for already the forest beyond €gan to lose its distinctness. | Suddenly the young man started, for, from the distance came a single ray of light. Theré was) no mistaking it; i was an Indian fire—necessarily Indians, for scareely ever had & white man planted his foot in that region ; certainly no one would think. of building a fire there.’ “ See that, Christian,” he remarked, pointing to the ray of light. « Yonder are the Narragansetts still.” “Yis; here more Nargansetts,” pursued the other point- ing to a ‘second light, which he had discovered. “Farther investigations reveuled other fires at different points, so there could be little doubt that a large body of the enemy comicloooks. com