Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1104 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

— —— ~—» — ; i ee ae o_o — erm +. ; —— i e pee | be At . - a re _ —_—_ - surprise became unbounded, when, doubling himself like a ball, Seth struck him with tremendous force in the stomach, knocking him instantly senseless. Quick as thought, Graham felled the savage stand- ing over Ina, and seizing her in his arms, plunged into the woods, setting up a loud shout at the same instant. The scene now became desperate. Hal- didge and Haverland, fired almost to madness, rush- ed forward, and the former added his own yells to those of the savages. Ten minutes after, not an In- (lian was insight. Finding it impossible to withstand this terrible onslaught, they fled precipitately, car- rying with them several desperate wounds in body and feelings. No lives were lost on either side, and not a wound worth mentioning was received by the assailants. The rout was complete, But there was still danger, as the routed Indians would make all haste to the main body, and would in turn pursue the whites. This Haldidge remarked, as he struck into the forest, and called upon the others not to lose sight of him. There was danger of this, indeed. “By gracious! yew, Haverland, things begin to fook up,’’ exclaimed Seth. Thank God!” responded the father, with a trem- bling voice. Ina, for a few moments after her recapture, was so | bewildered as not to comprehend the true state of | aifairs. Finally, she realized that she was in the arms of friends. **Am I safe? Where is father?” she asked. ‘** Here, my dearest child,’’ answered the parent, pressing her to his heart. ‘*Is mother and aunty safe?”’ “Yes, all—all are safe, I trust, now.”’ ** And who are these with you?” * This is Haldidge, a dear friend of ours, to whom, under Heaven, your rescue is owing, and—”’ “Just hold on, Alf, now, if you please; that’s plenty,” interrupted the hunter. a course I did not mean to leave out Seth here, and— ‘No, by gracious, it wouldn’t do, especially when you recollect how nice it was me and Graham gave em the slip.”’ * You and who?” eagerly asked Ina. **Me and Mr. Graham—that fellow standing there —the one that has come out here to marry you, Haven't you heard of him?’’ Ina stepped forward and scrutinized the face be- fore her. ‘** Don’t you remember me?’’ asked Graham, pleas- antly. * Oh, isit you? Iam so glad you are here,” she re- peated, placing both her hands in his and looking up into his face. ‘*Now, just see here,”’ said Seth, stepping earnest- ly forward, ‘I ‘bject to this. ’ the time to go into the sparking business, and if you do, why, you'll be obsarved. I advise you to postpone it till you git home. What’s the opinion of the audience?’ ‘** Your suggestion is hardly necessary,’”’ laughed Graham. ‘The business you referred to shall most certainly be deferred until a more convenient sea- son. “It gives me great pleasure,’’ rémarked Haver- land, ‘‘ to witness this reunion of friends, and I thank God that my dear child, so nearly lost forever, has beeu restored to me; but there is another whose heart is nearly broken, who should not be kept wait- | ing, and there is a long distance between us and perfect safety, which should be shortened as rapidly and quickly as possible.” vo consider yourself safe till you ave, and that isn’t yet.” “Just so exactly, and consequently all fall into line of march,” | ae friends now set out on a rapid walk home- ward, the way. Haldidge, as well as Seth, resolved that they should not pause until it was evident that Ina needed rest. Both well knew that the Mohawks would not yield up their captives, as long as there was a chance to regain them. Seth’s only fear now was that they would be pur- sued and overtaken by some of the savages. That this apprehension was well-grounded, the events which we shall now record will plainly show. CHAPTER XV. MANEUVERING AND SCHEMING, THROUGH the entire night, with now and then an occasional halt of a few minutes each, the fugitives —for they may now be prope ly termed such—con- tinued their journey. When day broke, they halted ina small valley through which a small, sparkling stream made its way. On either side, it was sur- rounded by dark, overhanging forest-trees, and heavier undergrowth, through which none but the eagle eye of the hunter or savage could discover their retreat. Seth, when they first halted, made off in the woods, and in the course of a half-hour returned with a large fowl. The feathers were plucked from this, a fire kindled, and in a few moments it was cooked. It furnished all with a hearty, substantial and nourish- ing breakfast—what all needed. After this a short consultation was held, when it was determined that they should halt for an hour ortwo. Several blankets were spread upon the greensward, as a bed for Ina, and in ten minutes she was sound asleep. Our friends had decided upon making their home- ward journey upon foot for several reasons, any of which was sufficient to influence them. In the first place, their course would be much shorter and more OS Why, you haven't | / upon, cept now and then to exchange a few words or in- _ crowded with bushy, yielding undergrowth. nN ee ee —EEE a —< rm mr a + Seth .Jones. direct, and was really attended with less danger; and even if they desired to take to the river there was no means to do it. ‘** By gracious!’’ remarked Seth, after a few min- utes’ deep thought, *‘I feel, boys, as though we're to a into a scrape before we git home. I tell yeou oa ‘** And I do, too,” added Haldidge. ‘I don’t know why it is, and yet I believe there is a reason for it, If there is any chance for them Mohawks to play a game of (id for tat, they'll do it; you can make up your mind to that.” ‘Do you think the chance is given them?’ queried Haverland. ‘Tam afraid we can’t help it, any way we choose to fix it.” : ‘** What do you mean? What do you refer to!” ** You see, them Ingins can’t help knowing the way we'll have to take to reach home, and what is to hinder them from getting ahead of us and giving us a little trouble?”’ ‘Nothing at all, that’s a fact. Our utmost vigi- lance will be required at every step. Don’t you think, Seth, that one of us should act in the capacity of scout?” **T know it; not only one, but two. As soon as we start, I shall shoot ahead and pilot you along, while one of you must flourish in the rear to announce any new visitors. This is the only way we can ever ex- pect to move along with dignity.”’ ‘What course do you suppose the savages will take?’ asked Graham, ‘I guess they ain’t in the neighborhood, though it’s darned hard to tell where they are. You can make up your mind that they’ll show themselves be- fore we get any great distance ahead. They’ll be dodging round in the woods till they find out where we are, and then they’ll use their wits to draw us into ambush, and I can tell yeou, too, that ‘cuter ones than we have walked right into the infarnal things.”’ An hour later, when preparations were making for | resuming their journey, Ina awoke. She was greatly refreshed by the sleep thus obtained, and the others felt cheered and hopeful at the prospect of a rapid march for the day. The burden and responsibility of this small band | of adventurers naturally devolved upon Haldidge and Seth. Haverland, although a thorough hunter and woodsman, had but little or no experience in Indian warfare, and accordingly showed himself to be devoid of that suspicions watchfulness which makes up the success of the frontier ranger, As for Graham, he was suspicious enough, but he lacked also the great teacher—experience, Seth and Hald- idge thus thrown together, rapidly consulted and de- | termined in all cases the precautionary measures to be adopted. in the present instance, it was decided that Haldidge should linger some hundred yards in the rear, and use all the opportunities thus afforded of watching the actions or approach of their ene- mies, The same duty was imposed upon Seth at the front, with the additional certainty upon his part, ey the entire safety of the company rested with 1im, Haverland and Graham generally walked side by side, with Ina between them, and as watchful as though they had none but themselves to depend They seldom indulged in conversation, ex- quiries. As Seth Jones was well satisfied in his own mind that the post of danger was held by him, we will fol- low his adventures, After emerging from the val- ley, in which the whites had encamped, their way ‘*That’s the idea,” added Haldidge; “it won't do | . for a considerable distance led them through the un- broken forest, withont hill or vale, and pretty thickly Had a person chanced to cross the path of Seth, the only evidence he would have had of the presence of a human being would have been the snapping of a twig As has been remarked, there was yet a long | distance to be passed, and even now, while surround- | ed by darkness, it was reckless to halt or lag upon | now and then, or the flitting of his form like a shadow from tree to tree, and perhaps the shrill, bird-like whistle as he signaled to those in the rear. Through the forenoon, nothing occurred to excite suspicion upon his part, but at the period mentioned, | he arrived at a point where his alarm was excited at once. The place offered such advantages for an indian ambush, that he gave the signal for those be- hind to halt, and determined to make a thorough re- connoissance of the whole locality before passing through it. The spot referred to, had the appear- ance of having formerly been the bed of some large- sized lake, the waters of which having dried up years before, left a rich, productive soil, which was now covered over with the rankest undergrowth and vegetation. Not a tree of any size appeared. The hollow, or valley, was so much depressed that from the stand-point of Seth, he obtained a perfect view of the whole portion. It was about a third of a mile in breadth, and erhaps a couple of miles in length. Seth stood a long time, running his eye over it, scanning every spot where it seemed likely an ene- my might lurk. Hardly a point escaped his keen vision, It was while he stood thus, eagerly scanning the valley, that his looks were suddenly attracted tow- ard a point near the center of the valley, from which a faint, bluish wreath of smoke was curling upward. This puzzled our friend greatly. He possessed the curious, investigating habits so generally ascribed to his race, and his curiosity was wonderfully excited by this occurrence. That there was some design in it, not understood yet, he was well satisfied, and he determined that, before allowing those behind him to venture into the valley, he would gain. all the knowledge possible of it. His first step was to take his own trail backward until he reached Hav- erland and Graham, to whom he imparted his inten- tion. This done, he set forward again. Ee ee - - — a Having arrived at the point where he first diseover- ed this suspicious appearance, he paused again for further consideration. The smoke was still visible, rising very slowly in the clear air, and making so slight an appearance that even his experienced eye searched @ long time forit. Seth watched for awhile, until he felt that he could not understand the mean- ing of it without venturing into the valley. This conclusion arrived at, he hesitated no longei, but de- scended and entered at once the luxuriant growth. When fairly within it, he made a detour to the right, so as to pass around the fire, and to avoid the ath that one unsuspicious of danger would be apt to ollow. As he made his way slowly and cautiously forward, he paused at intervals and etenes! intently. Sometimes he bent his ear to the ground and Jay for minutes at atime. Butas yet not the slightest sound had been heard, Finally he judged that he must be near the fire that had excited his apprehensions. The snapping of a burning ember guided him, and a few minutes later he stood within sight of it. Here he met a sight that chilled him with horror! Some wretched human being was bocnd to a tree and had been burned to death. He was painted black as death, his scalped head drooped forward, so that, from where Seth stood, it was impossible to distin- guish his features; but he saw enough to make him shudder at the awful fate he had so narrowly escap- ed. Every vestige of flesh was burned off to the knees, and the bones, white and glistening, dangled to the crisp and blackened members above! The hands, tied behind, had passed through the fire un- scathed, but every other part of the body was liter- ally roasted! The smoke in reality was the smoke from this human body, and the stench, which was now horrible, had been -noticed by Seth long before he suspected the cause. ‘Heavens and earth!” he muttered to himself ‘this is the first time l ever saw a person burned at the stake, and I hope in God it will be the last time, Can it be a while man?” After some cautious maneuvering, he gained a point from which he could obtain a view of the face, and he experienced considerable relief when he dis- covered that it was not a white man. He was prob- ably some unfortunate Indian, belonging to a hostile tribe, who had been captured by his enemies, and upon whom they had thus wreaked their vengeance. Whether he was a Mohawk, or the member of an- other tribe, it was impossible for Seth, under the cir- cumstances, to tell. But what was singular and un- accountable to Seth was, that there appeared to be no other savages in the vicinity, He knewit was not their custom to leave a prisoner thus, and the very fact of their being absent upon the present occasion made him doubly cautious and suspicious. It was while he stood meditating upon the terrible scene before him, that he was startled by the report of Haldidge’s rifle. He was satisfied that it was bis as it was from that direction, and he could not be mistaken in its report, He hi: d noticed it duving the conflict the night before as havivug a peculiay cound, entirely different from either his own or the savages’. This was a new source of wonder and perplexity. He was completely puzzled by the extraordinary turn affairs were taking. Some unusval cause muss have discharged Haldidge’s rifle. What it was he could only conjecture. Still doubting and cautious, he determined to re- connoiter his own position before returning, Steop- ing almost to the earth, be made his way stealthily around to the opposite side of the fire. Here he stretched out flat upon the earth, and bent his ear to the ground. A faint tremor was heard, He raised his head and heard the brushing of somebody through the wood. The next moment, five Mohaw warriors, in all the horrid panoply of war-paint. stepped into the open space in front of the Indian who had been burned at the stake, The report of the rifle appeared to be the cause of the lg go among them, They conversed earnestly, in a low tone at first, gesticulating vio- lently, without noticing in the least the heart-sicken- ing spectacle before them. Seth was satisfied that they had no suspicions of his own proximity, for they gradually spoke louder until he thanaged to hear the most of what they said. As he expected, it was the rifle report. They seemed to understand that it had not been discharged by one of their own number, and were afraid that their presence had been discovered, Seth learned further that there were at least a dozen Indians in the neighborhood, every one of whom was led thither by the one object. Consequently he must have missed the others en- tirely in his movements, or else they were in the rear and had been discovered by Haldidge. That the lat- ter was the case seemed more than probable. A collision in all probability had occurred between them and the hunter, and Seth felt that his presence was needed. Accordingly he turned to retrace his steps. is ease was indeed required, for danger, dark and threatening, surrounded the little band of whites. CHAPTER XVI. IN WHICH A HUNTER’S NERVES ARE TESTED. In the morning when our friends started upon their day’s march, Haldidge, as said, fell behind in order to guard against surprise from this direction, Although expecting as little as did Seth any demon- stration from this quarter, still he was too much of a backwoodsman to allow himself to lose any of his usual suspicion and watehfulness, Sometimes he would take the back trail for a long distance, and then wander off to the right or left of it for per- haps a mile or more. By this means, he kept a continual watch, not only upon the trail itself, but upon the neighborhood for a long distance around it, and, in case of pursuit, made so many and con- » ts ’ + a af e 2 Se z ~ pm. » a * . - r “ ae fe oe ee «“. _ a 7 —~ «-e 5 « wie » . " nee <— go oe _— — _ = 2 mie “ee a. ha Pte got fam a> = 5 — > : Aa » a et - - é ee - i | ca © + a? ~ — O Sey ets CA = : eae - yee BP aS + Ss Ea