Beadle's New Dime Novels: The Specter Chief — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

1: r 4 , -. 4 ih ate 4 y aes 345 > ” -¢ s rs + " . | ald é ’ of ¥ é =! q ao ie 62 ‘THE PHANTOM CHIEF. soners; but lad he no other claim upon our notice, this, Siluated as he was, would call for an honorable tribute from the historian. Nevertheless, the details of a captive’s treatment were necessarily left to inferiors; and the situation of Fenton , Was anything but comfortable. The ordinary place of confinement was the Council-house, near one end of which was a stout post, firmly planted; and to this, the sur- veyor was fastened by throngs of dried deerskin. Every night a buffulo skin was thrown down by the post, and, (his arms being pinioned,) he was re-fastened to the post _ in a manner which confined him in one position, and effec- tually prevented any use of his hands. These were much | swollen, and want of exercise seriously impaired his e general vigor. As to food he had no cause for complaint ; for by common usnge, prisoners were well fed, and he was - not made an exception. He was at first annoyed through the day, by the women, who amused themselves by sub- _ jecting bim to their usual clamor, and to the vexatious methods adopted by them to harass cap'ives of the male sex. His confinement was, however, so prolonged that _ they grew weary of this pastime, and dropped off. one by - one; so that at length the prisoner was left almost wholly fn quiet. Suveral members of the tribe lodged in the Council-honse, and arranged themselves around the stake as they went to sleep; and in the day, there was always at least one in sight of the surveyor. It may seem impossible that Wabethe could succeed in ‘the attempt to liberate one thas guarded. Yet similar attempts have succeeded in circumstances still more dis- _ 2 couraging. The surveyor was quite equal to any share “i which he might be called on to take in the affiir; and, perhaps, it is enough to say that when Marie, near mid- night, reached the place on the creek to which she was Z guided by the Swan, she felt her hand grasped with fervor im that of Fenton, Very few words were ‘spoken, bat as: these sufficed to apprise each how the welfare of the = other had increased in interest; an¢ it is not exaggeration « oe: —_ the hazardous Dature of their sR a was - i > a 3 Pees ym f a? % 7- => < *