The Mohegan Maiden — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

A FRIGHTFUL STRUGGLE. 61 inner chamber, quite in the depths of the hill. He was bearing the body in, when the further falling of loosened stones, on the shelf without, gave warning of further danger, Now armed with a keen knife, he had no féars of any hand-to-hand encounter, and turned back through the fissure to behold a Powerful savage already standing before it, having slid down from above with the agility of a cat. The Narragansett had Caught sight of his antagonist first, and, with a wild war- Whoop, bounded into the marrow entrance of the cavern, Archibald could not fall back before the sudden onslaught, Pressed closely by the savage, whose stalwart form so filled the Passage as to darken the chamber. This gave the white the Momentary advantage of taking a proper position for defense : {nd as the Indian emerged in the room, he found the white man Teady for him. Standing between his antagonist and the light, the Narragansett was taken at a great disadvantage ; Ut, beholding at his feet the dead body of the young brave, he warrior gave another fierce whoop, and bounded upon rchibald like a thunderbolt. ‘With a swing of his arm the White man dashed aside the blow at his heart, and the knife flew from the Indian’s grasp quite across the room, as the two Men closed in a death-gripe. The Narragansett thought to “Tush the pale-face by the sheer force of tremendous strength, but he found a man in his embrace whose power was quite “qual to his own, and by an expert movement of the foot the Young scout tripped the giant, pressed him backward and ‘ll upon him with the whole weight of his body. Ere the Stvage had struck the rough stove floor, however, the bright Stee] of that untarnished blade, drawn from the young In- lan’s belt, was crimsoned to the hilt in the blood of the big Warrior, Withdrawing from the savage’s embrace, Archibald sprung” to the entrance, expecting to confront other Indians, who, he felt certain, would follow their comrades down to the shelf. ‘or was he mistaken; for he emerged from the inner room JUSt in time to behold the body of an Indian shoot past through the air, as if, having lost his hold upon the rope, he 1ad been precipitated into the chasm below. Down, like a Tocket, the painted and feather-bedecked warrior dropped, tnd a wild howl from the base of the cliff told his fate.