The Land Claim — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

90 THE LAND-CLAIM. What they said could not be distinguished, though they were almost upon her. A horrible oath attested their surprise at What they saw, on coming near enough to discover the situa- tion of Carnes and Alicia. She caught but a few words, mostly oaths, and learned enough to know that these were not her friends, come to rescue her, but the prisoner's friends, who would rescue him. Thinking now only of escaping from their dangerous society, the frightened girl was groping to some hiding-place, when a hand was laid upon her arm. A terrified scream burst from her lips, whose shrillness overtopped the roar of the storm. Then followed rapid words, apparently in alter- cation between her captor and Carnes, and she was released. She knew, by the gleam of the lightning, that she was left alone—alone with the rage of the elements, but safer than in the company of man. Still the tempest raged at its highest, and still Allen had not come. Sometimes Alicia thought of trying to get to the cabin, and again she dared not stir away from that spot for fear of being lost, or of missing Allen when he should return. So she kept walking back and forth in the most open space near the place where Allen had left her, or sometimes crouch- ing down, with her face upon her knees, to escape the glare of the lightning. Drenched with rain, without even the protection of her shawl, which she had given Carnes for a pillow, her thin, white dress clung chillingly to her shoulders, weakening and benumbing her so that she moved with diffi- culty. In this situation she waited for another half-hour, which seemed half the night instead. Then came a peal of thunder, louder, with a sharper report, than any that had preceded it, while the air seemed ablaze with the electric fluid. Alicia was so shocked and stunned, though uninjured, that she dared not raise herself from the ground, nor her head from her knees, to look if the bluffs were not rent, or the forest strewn about her. Shuddering, she sobbed the name of Allen over and over, as if it had some charm to soothe the elements. ‘ But the last grand discharge had been made by heaven’s batteries. The thunder retired, muttering, with a rolling sound, as if its flying artillery were hurrying to a new position comlcbooks.com