The Mohegan Maiden — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT. 55 Meeting with the fresh party, which evidently was bent upon Mischief. Naturally they would wish the smaller party to join them, in which case he would stand in the way of their 80 doing. He knew very well that, if any thing stood ip their wuy it would be rudely set aside. And that gave him a key to the movements of the two Indian leaders, One Wished to dispatch him at once, while the other had persuaded him to wait till morning light, so that all could join in the revelry, , The more the prisoner reasoned, the more he became satis- fied that such was the true interpretation of what had passed, and the more anxious did he become to decide upon some Plan for foiling their desires. For a long time he lay reflecting and planning. The In- dians had encamped in an open piece of forest, near to where * Spring bubbled forth beneath a large rock. ‘The ground all about them was level and free from underbrush, so that any attempt at escape he might make would stand little chance of success, In addition, two guards had been posted, one of them apparently for his especial benefit. The latter say- ae remained in the vicinity of the captive, while his com- Panion in watehfulness took his ‘station upon the outskirts Of the camp.) : Archibald, though realizing full well that he must escape that very night) if he would save his life, could but confess that his prospects for so doing were growing smaller as the “ight sped away. f ' was past midnight; the Indian camp was buried in pro- und Slumber. Even the guardsseemed dissatisfied with “ir lot, and leaned listlessly against the nearest trees; only alf regardful of their duty. Hope began to dawn again in. © bosom of the captive. Might he not possibly creep away Afterall? He made a slight movement to test the watchfulness of those about him. It seemed unheeded, and he was encouraged to additional exertion. The next time he moved his body Several inches toward the forest. The slight sounds which “Ccompanied the exertion called one of the Indians to his Side, But the sentinel only found his charge locked in the deepest comiclbooks.conr