The Mohegan Maiden — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

52 THE MOHEGAN MAIDEN, He strode blindly on, with rifle strung on shoulder, and the first intimation he had of danger, came in a form not to be mistaken, Half a dozen whooping Narragansettg sprang from behind trees, yelling and brandishing weapons, as they rushed upon the astounded scout. Archibald’s day-dream was rudely broken in upon, and betore he could realize his situation, or attempt a defense, he was in the hands of the savages . To struggle was natural, and a struggle with biti meant something more than child’s-play. Hig brawny arms swept more than one enemy to the carth, held as he was, and tounded the almost victors, quite ag much ag thei faddes onslaught had astonished him, Could he have drawn hi ie self entirely from their grasp, it is possible Archibald ‘ent have freed himself, notwithstanding numbers and the ai ne vantage at which he was taken, But, this was not to be his good fortune. The brave scout, despite his efforts, was numbers, and his arms pinioned, after all we thing of value had been taken from him. to a tree, against which he was lashed thereto. When, this had been done, a warrior stepped back several paces, and hurled his hatchet, knocking off a piece of sisi just above the prisoner’s head. The handle of the we " indeed, partially struck his head, and almost blinded hi oer the moment. The savage then ‘uttered an impatient wel ‘i ation,,and withdrew a little further. Tere he fitted an oe vet to his»bow, and raised it to his eye. Archibald could 1a that the shaft was leveled at his face, and shut his eyes her a firm resolution, expecting to feel the dreadful crash of tie feathered missive. . He heard the twang of the bow, and almost simultaneous] came the dull “thud” of the arrow into the tree above ad head. Opening his eyes, he saw by the direction of the shaft which still stuck quivering in the tree, that it had stuck pre- cisely where the hatchet had. At once he realized that the brave was only testing his prisoner’s nerves, But, he was fitting another arrow! How.soon might he choose to close the scene; or how soon might he fail to pierce the mark, borne down by apons, and every He was then led Placed, and his arms firmly comicbooks.com