Beadle's Dime Novels No. 85: The Fugitives — page 32: what you’re looking at

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84 THE FUGITIVES, “Have -a care! That bush is full of Indians, and they are hurting us sadly.” It was evident that he spoke the truth, for at every rifle- crack from the undergrowth a soldier was sure to come to the ground. An attempt was finally made to dislodge them; and at the moment one wing was wheeling into position, the whole troop of Indians poured from the wood in one of their furious charges, yelling and whooping like so many demons let loose from Pandemonium, With what anxious hearts the officers watched their men under this charge! -As it was a flank movement, and the at- tempt was made to bring the faces of the men toward the sol- diers, the fatal misconstruction of the order was made, and the ‘men began to break and fly. Colonel Z. Butler came thundering forward on his horse, shouting for them to halt and re-form, and young Franklin dashed among them. : . “Stop, stop, my men! There is no order to retreat! If thee fly, thy wives and children will be left to the tomakswik. ‘Stand steady and the day is thine.” A portion of the men halted, but the majority were “ struck” with panic, and none but a military genius could have arrested them. Individual instances are recorded of heroism, but truth compels us to admit the utter defeat and rout of the Ameri- can column. “ See,” said Westover to George Cooper, “ our men are all retreating ; shall -we go ?” “T’ll have one more shot first,” was the reply. . At that mo- ment a ball struck a tree just by his head, and an Indian springing toward him with his spear, Cooper drew up his rifle and fired; the Indian sprung several feet from the ground and fell prostrate on his face. “ Come,” said Westover. “T'll load first,” replied Cooper—and it is probable this coolness saved him, for the great body of the savages had dashed forward after the flying fugitives and were far in their | rear. On the right, one of the officers said to Captain Hewitt : “The day is lost—see, the Indians are sixty rods in our rear ; shall we retreat ?” “Tll be hanged if I do,’ was his ansWer. “ Drummer, cormmiclooks.conn