The Mohegan Maiden — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

* ARGHIBALD’S HIDING-PLACE. 59 If so, was there not some hope of escape by it 2. He re- solved to explore the chances for dropping down, with safety, to the gully below. Once there, he knew it would be easy, With his knowledge of the locality, to elude his hunters, Down the slender body of the tree he glided, until, at length, he stood upon solid ground. A few moments exam- ination proved his guess correct—the pine grew from a shelf on the face of the almost perpendicular wall, springing out of the wall at a*point where a growth of bushes indicated the existence of a foothold for soil. A stone loosened in his efforts at exploration, went erashing down, sending up echoes. from the gulf underneath, to warn him that the base of the cliff was yet far beneath him. It did more, for a shout fol- lowed from below which was answered by a responsive shout from above :—the Narragansetts were still there; and as the faintest streaks of dawn now began to shimmer in the air Overhead, the hunted man realized that it was full time for him to find a spot of retreat in the face of the wall, which the prying eyes of the savages could not penetrate. Continuing the search carefully along the ‘thin shelf, he found it to narrow and end abruptly, but a few feet along the Wall, arrested by a huge buttress of rock. Several indenta- tions, however, were found along the path, which offered 4mple shelter from observation, and safety from rifle-ball or {trow, and, choosing the most ample of these, near the rocky Uttress, the wearied man leaned against the damp wall and Wassoon fast asleep. He could have slept but an hour, for, startled by the thud Of a heavy stone almost at his feet, he unclosed his eyes to find the sun just rising over the hills and flooding the preci- Pice with light. What had loosened that stone? Evidently It Came from above, and some person must have sent it down. as he discovered? He feared so: yet, having a good place of defense, determined to preserve it. A slight noise from Overhead now arrested his attention. Stones continued to fall, and he distinctly heard the sound of voices. ‘The tempta- ‘tion to look out and to peer up was irresistible. Extending his head from cover, he had scarcely exposed it ere a shot Was fired from below, the ball striking the rock at his side. ¢ Was a narrow escape. co comniclbooks.conn