The Mohegan Maiden — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

A FRIEND AND A FOR. i. forest, had encountered a bear, hungry and desperate, it being early spring-time. As he could not flee, the’ young brave, scarcely more than a stripling, made. a bold front, and succeeded in piercing one of the animal’s eyes with an arrow. He was also armed with an iron hatchet, and a hunting-knife, which had been obtained from his friends, the English settlers. Drawing these he prepared to defend himself, @xpecting only death. | | . : At the first encounter his hatchet was dashed away, and he left with but his knife to resist the attacks of the bear, But, resist he did, with such good effect, that he finally dispatched the animal, although fearfully torn and lacerated himself. He endeavored to crawl from the spot, but was too weak from loss-of blood, and pain from his wounds to do 680. Conclud- ing that his hour had come to die, he sang his death song, and*laid himself down to await the unknown change. : But a singular chain of circumstances surrounded the young Indian. A foe to his people, because a foe to the white man, had been watching the deadly struggle, only hoping that tae brave Mohegan would be slain. ‘That such was the case he had little doubt, but, wishing to make certain of. the fact, he stole up to the prostrate-form. a / Hawk’s-wing saw him coming and knew the fate he must expect, but betrayed no dismay at the presence of his’ foe. The latter saw the helpless state of the Mohegan, and, after tormenting him a time bent over him to scalp him. Archibald Turner, in the forest at the time, witnessed all the proceedings of the Narragansett. The brutality which could exult over the sufferings of a person so fearfully wound- ed as he saw the Mohegan’ must be, excited his anger, and when the knife was raised to scalp a human being y et alive, he could restrain himself no longer, and fired rather un- steadily from haste. . . | ! The Narragansett was wounded, but not severely, and see- ing that h¢ was to be foiled in his purpose, he bounded away through the forest like a deer, never looking back till he~ was far beyond the reach of vision. Archibald at once went to the. assistance of. the wounded Indian, whom he found quite composedly awaiting whatever might be in store for him. connicloooks.comn