CHAPTER I. THE SCOUTS.
[figure description] Page 007.[end figure description]
Probably no region of the globe ever presented
more attractions to the genuine hunter and lover of
the backwoods, than the territory known as Kentucky
previous to its settlement by the race that
now holds possession of its soil. Its location, happily
intermediate between the extremes of heat and cold,
afforded a most congenial climate; its surface was
diversified by steep hills and deep valleys, stupendous
cliffs and marshy levels, dense woods and flowery
glades, immense caverns and tangled brakes, large
streams and wonderful licks; and hither came all the
beasts of the forest, to roam in unrestrained freedom
through wilds seldom trod by human feet, and gay-plumed
songsters from every region swept along the
balmy air and made the sylvan retreats ring with
their silvery strains. When first discovered by the
white man, no human beings claimed ownership of
this enchanting land. The red man of the North,
and the red man of the South, came here to hunt and
fight; but the victor bore off his spoils, and the
-- 008 --
[figure description] Page 008.[end figure description]
vanquished went back in dismay, and neither put up
his wigwam on the neutral ground. For years after
its discovery by the white man, Kentucky could not
boast a hundred of the race within its borders; but
then the tide of emigration set in strongly toward
this western land of promise, and a few years more
beheld its broad surface dotted here and there with
the rude fortresses and dwellings of incipient civilization.
Every step forward, however, was marked
with blood. The red man was jealous of the white,
and there was for a long period an almost continuous,
fierce, and sanguinary struggle for the mastery;
while the midnight yells, the wailing shrieks and
the burning homes, too often proclaimed the horrid
work of death and desolation.
The middle period between the first discovery of
Kentucky and that happy time when the savage
hordes of the North no longer found their way within
her limits, is the one we have chosen for the opening
of our story. At this time there was a number of
established forts or stations in different sections, some
of which had been sorely tried by long, fierce sieges,
and all of which had been more or less attacked;
and there was a still larger number of solitary
block-houses and ordinary log-cabins scattered over
the country, the owners and inmates of which had
boldly ventured upon the chances of living and cultivating
their lands beyond the protecting power of
a collected body of their fellow-beings. The Indians,
in large and small parties, had made frequent
-- 009 --
[figure description] Page 009.[end figure description]
incursions within the limits occupied by the settlers,
sometimes with success and sometimes with defeat,
and there was no telling what moment they might
again appear and assail those who had thus far escaped
discovery and harm. Such in brief was the
general condition of the country at the time we present
to notice the opening scene of our drama of life.
On a calm and beautiful day, just after the heats
of summer had been succeeded by the cooler and
more bracing airs of autumn, two men, in the garb
of border hunters, were pushing their way through
a dense thicket of cane, in what is now one of the
northeastern counties of Kentucky. There was no
path through this brake, the cane of which was at
least twelve feet high, and grew so close that our
adventurers were forced to part the stalks with their
hands to make a passage for their bodies. For
something like an hour they toiled on in this manner,
with scarcely a word being exchanged, when
they suddenly emerged into an open wood, where
the ground, clear of bushes and vines, presented a
beautiful carpet of green grass and bright flowers,
and the trees, in orchard-like regularity, stretched
upward their huge trunks, interlocked their heavy
branches, and spread deeply over all a delightful
canopy of leaves.
“There,” exclaimed the younger of the two, as he
made a nimble leap from the canebrake into the
open wood, and threw out his arms and brought
down the breech of his rifle with an air of
-- 010 --
[figure description] Page 010.[end figure description]
satisfaction, “thank Heaven, I have got where I can breathe
again! Ah! what a beautiful, enchanting place!”
he added, with enthusiasm, as his quick, bright eye
took in the scene; “a regular Eden! Tom, I must
make a sketch of it!”
“You'd better make tracks out on't!” growled the
other, as he went stalking forward in the most unromantic
manner possible. “You want to sketch
everything you see, and some day you'll hev a
bloody savage sketch off the top of your head.”
“Bah!” cried the younger, with a slight pout of
his lips and a roguish twinkle of his bright blue
eyes; “there is no more poetry in you, Tom, than
there is in a possum!”
“Wall, don't a possum know all as natur' wanted
him to?” queried Tom, half-facing round, but still
stalking onward.
“I suppose so,” smiled the other.
“Then whar's the use?” returned the woodman,
with a satisfied grunt. “I spect picturs and poetry
is well enough in thar places, in some old finiky settlement,
whar they sleep in feather-beds and git
skeered at thar shadders; but out yere they're no
more use nor wings is to tadpoles.”
“That is your sage opinion, Tom!” replied the
young man, with a good-natured smile; “but, fortunately
for me, everybody don't think as you do.
Different people have different tastes and educations.”
“Wall, I never had any edication,” rejoined Tom,
with an air of simplicity, “'cept what I picked up
-- 011 --
[figure description] Page 011.[end figure description]
in the woods; and whar's the use? I had a tomahawk
for a plaything when I war a baby, and a rifle for a
bed-feller; and when I growed up along, I larnt to
use 'em on beasts and Injuns. I kin hunt, fish, row,
trail Injuns and steal hosses; I can tell a skunk from
a beaver, a persimmon tree from a white-oak, a turkey-buzzard
from a chicken, and what more d'ye
want? One man can't know everything, I spect.”
“Of course not,” laughed the other; “and I suppose
I like you quite as well as if you were filled
with poetry and romance, and went into ecstasies
over every beautiful scene in nature. The fact is, as
I'm something of an enthusiast, I suppose it wouldn't
do for me to have a companion like myself out here
in this Indian country!”
“Not ef you spect to keep your head on your
shoulders, and your ha'r on top on't, Harry Colburn!”
rejoined the other, with a broad grin.
While thus conversing, the elder continued to lead
the way, with long and rapid strides, as if anxious to
reach some given point at a certain time, and the
younger followed on a few paces behind him. The
route pursued led directly through the open wood,
then down into a deep, rocky hollow, through which
flowed a rapid, roaring streamlet, and then up a bush-covered
ridge to a ledge of rocks that crowned its
summit, and from which the eye took in a range of
diversified country, filled with picturesque and beautiful
scenes.
“Oh, Tom,” cried the younger, as he leaped upon
-- 012 --
[figure description] Page 012.[end figure description]
the highest rock, “I don't care what you say, but
I'm going to make a sketch here if I die for it. Take
a seat, Mr. Sturgess, and make yourself comfortable
for a few minutes, and then I'll positively agree not
to bother you again to-day.”
“Wall,” returned the other, eying the young
man with a rough kind of fondness, such as an indulgent
father sometimes bestows upon a spoiled
child, “I spect you'll hev your way in spite of me;
but remember, ef we don't git to the place in time,
and anything haps to the colonel's darter, the fault
arn't mine—for this he-yar makes the tenth time
you've stopped for pictur' fooleries sence we left the
station!”
“That is true!” rejoined the young artist, half
disposed to thrust back into the deep pocket of his
hunting-shirt the drawing materials he had already
brought forth. “But then,” he added, as he threw
his eyes over the beautiful landscape, “I'll just make
a rough sketch, to fill up from memory, and will only
keep you a few minutes.”
With this he commenced his work, moving his
pencil in a very rapid manner over the paper.
While he is thus employed, and the rough woodman
is impatiently waiting, we will take occasion
to briefly describe the personal appearance, and say
a word of the early history of both.
Henry Colburn, the young artist, was a tall,
slender, well-formed young man of two-and-twenty.
He had long, light hair, that fell gracefully down
-- 013 --
[figure description] Page 013.[end figure description]
around his neck and shoulders, dark blue eyes, and
a very animated, intelligent, prepossessing countenance.
If anything, his smooth, almost beardless
face, was rather too effeminate for manly beauty;
yet the thin, well-chiselled nose, firm-set mouth, close,
compressed lips, and round, prominent chin, denoted
unusual strength of character, and, taken in connection
with his broad, noble forehead, and clear, soulbeaming
eye, bespoke the high-toned principles,
resolution and courage of the innate gentleman—for
indeed men are born gentlemen, just the same as
they are born poets, artists, or musicians. There
was enthusiasm in the young man, and a deep love
of nature in all her many forms—from the holy
beauty of a glorious sunset, to the sublime grandeur
of the thundering storm—from the placid quiet of
the dreamy lake, to the deafening roar of the
mighty cataract—from the level plain of billowy
grain, or waving blade and flower, to the rugged
steeps of towering mountain and precipitous ledge.
He was brimful of poetry, for his soul drew inspiration
from all around him. He was as artless as a
child, tender as a woman, gentle as a fawn, and yet
possessed the real courage of a lion. Judging from
appearance, you would have said the perilous wilderness
was no place for him; and yet few there were,
among the iron-nerved men of that region and time,
who could equal him in bravery, or surpass him in
endurance. The youngest son of a wealthy Virginian
(who prided himself on his adherence to the
-- 014 --
[figure description] Page 014.[end figure description]
English Crown, and believed in the right of sole inheritance
for the eldest male branch), he had received
a good education and little else, and had then boldly
struck off into the wilderness, to carve out a fortune
for himself. In company with a small, but intrepid,
band of adventurers, he had travelled hundreds of
miles to reach the land of promise; and during the
two years which had since passed, he had roved from
one extreme of the territory to the other; had mingled
freely with the rough borderers, sleeping in
stations and camping in forests; had hunted wild
beasts; had trailed savages and fought them; and,
in short, had made himself a universal favorite
among a class of people whose attachments were
rarely secured without merit. In his various wanderings
he had fallen in with an old hunter and
scout, his present companion, Thomas Sturgess by
name—though more familiarly known among the
borderers as Rough Tom—with whom he had been
a daily companion for the last six months, and
between whom and himself there existed an intimacy
and bond of affection that seemed very remarkable,
considering how widely opposite they were in appearance,
disposition, manners, habits, mind and
education. Young Henry was a poetical enthusiast—
old Tom was a practical woodman. The one
lived half his existence in an ideal realm—the other
never lost sight of the fact that his scalp was in
danger.
The old hunter was a far better representative of
-- 015 --
[figure description] Page 015.[end figure description]
the borderers of that region than the young poetartist.
His appearance was not prepossessing. He
was rising of forty years of age, and possessed a
large, heavy frame, full of bone and sinew. His
strength was great, and his physical endurance equal
to any man living. His face was covered with a dull,
reddish beard, and his long, matted hair was of a
similar color. His nose was short and broad, and
his mouth large, with massive jaws. His eyes were
small and dark, and gleamed out through the thick,
shaggy brows like two coals of fire. He was unlettered
and superstitious, for his whole life had been
passed in the wilderness. He was rough and uncouth
in every sense of the term, and yet he had his good
points, and was rather a favorite than otherwise with
the settlers of Kentucky. He was always true to his
friends; was a good hunter and trailer, and knew the
wilderness thoroughly; was brave without being
rash, and bold without being fool-hardy; was skilful,
resolute, decided, energetic, and withal a good Indian
hater. For the last year he had been employed by
the authorities, convened at Harrod's Station, to act
as Indian scout and spy along the Ohio River, for the
better protection of parties coming down in boats,
and to warn the more exposed settlers of any signs
of savage incursion. His last instructions had been
to join some five or six other scouts and spies, at a
place called Limestone (now Maysville), and proceed
with them to the mouth of the Great Kanawha, there
to meet and act as escort to a small company of
-- 016 --
[figure description] Page 016.[end figure description]
Virginians, the majority of them women and children,
who were coming out to unite with their relatives
and make their future home in the wilderness. One
of these, the daughter of a colonel who held a prominent
position among the borderers, and with respect
to whom the old woodman and his companion had
received a special charge, was the lady he had alluded
to in the conversation recorded.
The dress of our two adventurers was such as was
usually worn by the borderers of that day—a hat of
felt, a hunting-shirt of linsey-woolsey, with a broad
cape gayly fringed, leggins of deer-skin, trimmed
down the outer seams, and moccasins of the same
material. A strong belt around the waist supported
tomahawk and hunting-knife; while under the right
arm was slung the powder-horn, and under the left
the bullet-pouch. Across the shoulders were strapped
a small knapsack and blanket, which were
generally carried on a long journey like the present.
Each, of course, was provided with a good rifle, for
that in the wilderness was always a necessary weapon
to supply the hunter with food and defend him
against wild beasts and savages.
The few minutes asked for by the young artist
had extended to an hour, and he was still busy, his
eyes ever and anon glancing at the scene before him,
and his pencil moving rapidly over the paper. During
this time the old hunter had not disturbed him
by a word; but he was now evidently becoming
quite impatient—turning restlessly from side to side,
-- 017 --
[figure description] Page 017.[end figure description]
looking often at the sun, and playing nervously
with the lock of his rifle. At last he started to his
feet, with his favorite exclamation:
“Whar's the use?”
“Only a few minutes more, Tom, my good friend!”
said Henry, in a pleading tone.
“I spect that's till sundown!” growled the woodman.
“Oh, no, upon my honor! only a few minutes
more!” said Henry. “See! I am almost done!”
“Look a he-yar, younker,” rejoined Tom, “you
know I hates to disturb you when you're at your
finikies; but it arn't right for me to squat around
doing nothing, when every minute's wanted; and
though I don't like to say nothing to hurt your feelings,
yet I will say, that this has got to be the last
time with your sort of foolery afore we git to jine
the t'other scouts, or else I'll tramp on and leave
you!”
“Very well, Tom, this shall be the last time!”
promised Henry.
“Wall, then, go ahead! and as I know you'll want
a good hour at least, I'll jest drap down behind the
hill yere, and see ef I can't strike a lettle fresh meat
for supper.”
“Ay, do, Tom, that's a good soul! and by the
time you get back I'll be ready to start!” said
Henry.
The old hunter disappeared, and the young artist
went on with his sketch, his mind becoming so
-- 018 --
[figure description] Page 018.[end figure description]
completely absorbed with his work that the time passed
by unnoticed. Had he been put under oath, he
could not have told whether it was five minutes,
fifteen, or thirty, after Tom left, when he heard the
crack of a rifle in the direction the latter had gone.
Shortly after this he was startled by a wild, prolonged
shriek, that sounded as if made by the throat
of a woman. He stopped and listened, but heard no
more. What could it mean? Surely such a strange,
fearful scream as that never issued from the lips of
a man, much less from those of Tom; and if from
another, did it not indicate distress, or bode danger?
Thrusting his unfinished drawing into his pocket,
Henry caught up his rifle, ready to assist another or
defend himself, and then threw his eyes rapidly over
the whole scene, but more searchingly in the direction
from which the sound had reached him. His
eyes rested upon rocks, hills, trees and bushes; but
the only living thing he saw was a large, black bird,
of the vulture species, which was lazily flapping its
way above the tops of the trees in the valley below.
As there was nothing for him to do till he could
hear or see more, he remained for some ten or fifteen
minutes on the watch, wondering over the mystery,
when suddenly the old hunter made his appearance,
coming up the side of the hill opposite to that of his
descent. He looked like a man who had received a
terrible fright, and threw himself down on a rock
and drew a long breath without saying a word.
-- 019 -- p473-024
CHAPTER II. THE PHANTOM.
[figure description] Page 019.[end figure description]
“For Heaven's sake, Tom, what is it? what's the
matter?” cried the wondering Henry, running up to
him.
The old woodman slowly turned his eyes upon
the young man, with a strange kind of stare, and said,
with solemn earnestness, and a perceptible shudder:
“I've seed it, Harry!”
“Seen what?”
“And heerd it, too!”
“Heard what, Tom?”
“Thar's no denying it, younker, 'cept I leaves
out every sense I've got!”
“Well, Tom, don't sit there mystifying me, but
tell me at once what you've seen and heard! I heard
something, too—a wild shriek, like a woman's.”
“That's it!” cried Tom, grasping the young man's
arm and glancing quickly around, as if he half
expected to see some fearful apparition start up beside
him; “that's it! but it warn't no woman; it
warn't nothing human, nor 'arthly—no, sir, it
warn't!”
“Do tell me, then, what it was!”
“Don't know, Harry,” replied Tom, with a
-- 020 --
[figure description] Page 020.[end figure description]
lugubrious face and dubious shake of the head; “and
what's more, thar don't nobody. It's been seed
afore, by old hunters and scouts, and al'ays fotches
bad luck to them as looks on't, or hears it; but nobody
can't tell what it ar'—whar it comes from, or
whar it goes to!”
“Oh, you mean the Forest Wonder, or Demon,
or Phantom, that has scared so many courageous
fellows?”
“That's what I mean!” said Tom, emphatically.
“I seed it, sir, closer to me nor I is to you, jibbering
and shrieking right in my face; and how I'm yere
to tell on't, ar' a special wonder and a mystery—fur
though I says it myself as shouldn't, I war so
skeered that it's amazing I didn't die right thar in
my tracks!”
“Pray tell me all about it, Tom!” said Henry,
glancing sharply around him, with a look that
showed he was prepared for a startling narration—
for though not given to all the wild, ignorant superstitions
of the time, he was in a condition to admit
there might be strange things happen that could not
be accounted for by human philosophy.
Within the past year he had heard rough borderers,
around their camp-fires, tell of a strange apparition,
that had been seen in wild places, in the
depth of the wilderness; and though he had been
far from crediting all they had said concerning the
wonder, or drawing the same superstitious conclusions
as themselves, yet he had not been so skeptical
-- 021 --
[figure description] Page 021.[end figure description]
as to suppose it was all mere imagination because
he had not seen it himself. He believed there had
been something seen, bearing the human form, which
had suddenly and mysteriously appeared and disappeared;
and now he had just had evidence,
through his own sense of hearing, of some creature,
with a voice like a woman's, having been near him,
and he was about to have the testimony of a friend,
who had both seen and heard, added to all the rest.
“You see,” said Tom, “I war down in the valley
thar, hunting so'thing for our supper, whilst you
were fooling up he-yar, when my eye lit onto what I
tuk for a deer, and I fired and drapped it. I didn't
kill it dead, you see, and I run up and cut its throat,
and then got down and went to cutting out the best
part for our feed. I'd just got a nice, juicy piece
tuk out and put aside, when down come the strangest
thing in natur', ker wallup, right on to me and the
brute, knocking me over as ef I'd been struck by a
falling tree. I jumped up, thinking it war a Injun;
but when I seed it, I knowed it warn't nothing human.
It looked some'at like a woman, but war all
kivered with scales and ha'r like a fish—”
“A fish don't have hair, Tom!” interrupted Henry.
“Wall, this critter had,” went on Tom, “and eyes
like coals of fire, that almost burnt into me; and
sich teeth! and sich claws! the Lord be marciful!
Whew! Whar's the use? I can't describe nothing.
Think of the devil, and put all you kin fancy to it!
Wall, sir, it pounced on to the chunk of meat that
-- 022 --
[figure description] Page 022.[end figure description]
I'd cut off for our supper, and, jibbering and grinning
right in my face, it gin a shriek, like ten thousand
wildcats, and shot off in a streak of fire and
smoke!”
“Where did it go to?”
“The Lord knows, Harry! I only knows that
I come he-yar about as quick as my pins would
do it.”
“You didn't fire at it, then?”
“Fire! Whar's the use? My rifle warn't loaded;
and ef it had ben, no ball would hev teched that
Thing!”
“Pshaw! You were scared, Tom!”
“And whar's the man that wouldn't a ben, with
the devil stealing his supper?” said Tom, wiping the
perspiration from his forehead. “I tell you, Harry,
I've ben in some ticklish fixes afore now, when I
didn't spect my life was wo'th a cud of tobacker,
but I never had nothing take me down like that!
Say, ar' my ha'r scorched anywhar?”
“Not that I can perceive,” smiled Henry.
“You needn't grin, younker,” growled Tom, rather
testily, “for I tell you it's a marcy it warn't all
burnt off, it war so infarnal hot, jest as ef a ball of
lightning had whirled round my head! Now I
think on't, I believe I smelt brimstone!”
“Tom, you go too far,” said Henry, gravely. “I
am prepared to admit you saw something frightful,
but I am not so sure the apparition was supernatural.
Might it not have been some kind of a beast
-- 023 --
[figure description] Page 023.[end figure description]
resembling a human being? something like those
I've read about inhabiting the wilds of Africa? a
large baboon, for instance?”
“Woofh!” exclaimed Tom, contemptuously; “ef
thar war any flesh and blood about the Thing, d'ye
s'pose I'd a got skeered at it?”
“But it carried off flesh and blood, Tom, according
to your own account, and what do you suppose
a hobgoblin would want with a chunk of deer-meat?”
“I don't know, younker—I didn't ax no questions.
Whar's the use? How do you spect a animal would
have jumped down from the skies, like that did?”
“Were there no trees around you?”
“Wall, what of 'em?”
“Could it not have leaped down from one of
them?”
“Thar's no use talking to you!” cried Tom, rather
angrily, springing up and beginning to load his rifle—
a precaution he had so far neglected. “You're
good on pictur's and gineral finikies, but I knows a
beaver from a buffaler, or a stump-tailed dorg from
a hole in the ground!”
Henry made no immediate reply, and nothing
more was said till Rough Tom had finished reloading
his rifle.
“I should like to see the spot where this strange
Thing made its appearance!” said Henry, at length.
“Foller me, then!” returned the other; “for I'll
jest go back thar with any man as lives—though
-- 024 --
[figure description] Page 024.[end figure description]
I'd rather face a half a dozen Shawness nor see it
ag'in!”
“Did you not say it was bad luck to see or hear
this strange Creature?” queried the young artist, as
the two carefully picked their way down the hill.
“Yes, that's what they say!” was the answer.
“Thar war Jim Turner and Bill Sproats as seed it,
about six months ago, down on the Salt; and Jim
he got killed and sculped the next week; and Bill
tuk the measles and haint ben well sence. Then
thar war one-legged Pete, as seed it down at Big
Bone Lick; and the next day he war chased by
Injuns, and had a tight dodge for 't, and the week
arter he war nigh killed by a wounded stag that
turned on him. Then thar war Ephe Sikes, as——
But whar's the use? We'll hev so'thing orful arter
it, sure! I wouldn't wonder now ef I'd run into
the Shawnees, tumble over a precipice, or cotch the
smallpox!”
When Rough Tom and his companion reached
the spot where the former had killed the deer, not
a particle of the carcass was to be seen.
“Thar it lay,” said the old woodman, with an air
of solemn mystery, as he pointed to some blood on
the ground, “and I war right atop on't, when the—
the—Thing pounced down!”
“I see! from that large tree right above?”
“Spect thar is a tree thar,” returned Tom, rubbing
his eyes, as if to remove all doubts, “though
I'd a swore it war all clean sky.”
-- 025 --
[figure description] Page 025.[end figure description]
“And doubtless you would be willing to swear to
many things that are not exactly gospel!” returned
the other. “Well, the deer is gone, you see! and,
my life on it, whatever took it away was of flesh
and blood! Can't we trail it, Tom? See! here is
the print of a human foot!”
“You kin, ef you want to go off in a blaze of
brimstone!” growled Tom; “but I wouldn't trail it
fur all you're wo'th, or ever spects to be—no, sir!
Come! whar's the use? Let's put off, and git as fur
as we kin from this place afore sundown!”
“Lead on, then!” rejoined the young man; and,
without any further words, the old hunter pushed
into the nearest thicket, and went forward, with long
and rapid strides—the other, as was his custom, following
close behind him.
Just as the sun was setting and they were thinking
about a place to camp for the night, some three
or four deer came bounding past. Quick as thought,
the old woodman had his rifle to his shoulder and
the trigger pulled—but the piece missed fire.
“I knowed it,” he said, with a mysterious shake
of his head; “it all comes of that cussed Phantom!
and I shouldn't wonder ef we starved to death!”
“Look to your priming, Tom, and don't let the
Phantom take away all your wits!” said Henry, half
vexed and half amused at the whimsical superstitions
of the other. “If you go on this way at every
trifle, you will not be fit for the woods, but only for
some feather-bed settlement, as you say!”
-- 026 --
[figure description] Page 026.[end figure description]
“Not a single kernal in he-yar,” said Tom, as he
opened the pan of his rifle, “and I know I filled it.”
“Well, then, put some in, and be ready for the
next time!” rejoined Henry. “I'm sorry you missed
fire, for I'm as hungry as a bear, and I'm afraid we
shall not get another shot to-day.”
“Thar's a lettle jerked meat left,” said Tom, “and
we'll hev to put up with that. I wouldn't wonder
ef that cussed Thing had bewitched this old rifle
so's she'll never go off ag'in.”
“If it won't go off any other way, you can carry
it off!” laughed Henry.
“Woofh!” grunted Tom; “whar's the use?”
It was vexatious to think they had twice missed
a good supper, but there was no help for it now, and
they were obliged to camp and put up with the food
they carried in their knapsacks. They selected a
dry spot, on the side of a hill, near a spring of good
water, but did not kindle a fire, as they had nothing
to cook, and the weather was not cold enough to
render it necessary. Although Tom was full of evil
predictions, nothing occurred through the night to
disturb them, and at the first streak of day they got
up and resumed their journey. Before noon they
came upon a bear digging roots, and Tom told his
companion that if it were not for his rifle being bewitched
he could kill the animal easily enough.
“Suppose you try it, at all events!” said Henry.
“I will,” returned the other, bringing his piece to
-- 027 --
[figure description] Page 027.[end figure description]
his shoulder as he spoke, “ef only to show you it
arn't of no use.”
He pulled the trigger, and, to his great astonishment,
a sharp report followed, and the bear dropped.
This success in a great measure restored the spirits
of the old woodman.
“Thar arn't no spell on't now,” he said, with a
grim smile, “and the critter went down like old
times.”
The bear, though not killed outright, was speedily
dispatched; and our adventurers started a fire,
toasted slices of the meat, and made a hearty meal.
They took off the skin of the beast, and carried it
with them, and also a portion of the carcass, to
serve them for the two following meals. They made
a long journey that day, passed the night without
mishap, and, by noon of the day following, reached
in safety the hills overlooking the fort at Limestone,
on the Ohio River, where they soon after joined the
hardy men who were to accompany them on their
journey to the mouth of the Great Kanawha.
-- 028 -- p473-033
CHAPTER III. THE VOYAGERS.
[figure description] Page 028.[end figure description]
At the period of which we are writing, much of
the emigration from Virginia into Kentucky came
down the Great Kanawha in boats to the Ohio, down
the Ohio to Limestone (now Maysville), and thence
went into the interior by land. This was one of the
best routes for easy transportation of goods and
chattels, but was very dangerous, owing to the fact
that the Indians held possession of the territory
stretching away from the northern bank of the Ohio,
and were generally on the watch to decoy, ambush
and attack such parties as they considered inferior
to themselves in strength or numbers. For decoys
they had white men and women and even children—
some of them prisoners, who served them on compulsion,
a death of torture being the penalty for
refusing to act in the manner directed—and some of
them renegades—villains who had fled from justice
to the savages for protection—traitors to humanity—
who thus took a fiendish delight in wreaking vengeance
upon all of their nation and race. Their
mode of proceeding was well calculated to deceive
all but the most experienced and wary. As some
boat would be quietly floating down the placid river,
-- 029 --
[figure description] Page 029.[end figure description]
in the peaceful stillness of a lovely day, a cry of
distress would suddenly be heard from the northern
shore, and a man or woman, half naked, as if his or
her clothes had been rent to tatters by a hurried
escape through the thickets and brambles of the
wilderness, would immediately appear on the edge
of the stream, and, in the most piteous tones, implore
to be taken on board, declaring that he or she was
in a famishing condition, in peril of recapture, and,
if left there without succor, would certainly perish.
It was very trying to the most experienced and
cautious to resist these appeals for the aid which
could so easily be rendered—for white captives did
sometimes so escape, and their cries of distress were
terrible realities—but whenever their human hearts
yielded to the calls for mercy, in nine cases out of
ten their boat was captured by a concealed band of
savages the moment it touched the shore, and themselves
were either murdered on the spot, or stripped
and plundered and reserved for a more horrible fate.
It is true that a few wretched prisoners were at
different times thus rescued through the humanity
of the descending boatmen; but for every life so
preserved, at least twenty were sacrificed by the
wily savages, who were generally lying in ambush
and using the whites for decoys. To such an extent
in fact was this nefarious practice carried out, that
for years before the final treaty of peace at Greenville,
no descending boat, under the pilotage or
control of an experienced manager, would venture
-- 030 --
[figure description] Page 030.[end figure description]
to land under any circumstances whatever; and thus
more than one poor, wretched wanderer, whose
appeals for succor were no counterfeits, was left to
perish unaided, and perhaps curse the supposed
heartlessness of men and women who seemed to
turn a deaf ear to his prayers.
When our scouts, seven in number, including the
young artist, reached the mouth of the Great Kanawha—
which they did a few days after their meeting
at Limestone, without incident worthy of note—they
learned from the garrison at Point Pleasant that the
party they were to escort had not yet come down
the river. In fact the expected boats did not make
their appearance for nearly a week. They were three
in number—one loaded with passengers, another
with goods, and the third with horses. There were
in all—men, women and children, blacks and whites—
thirty-one souls, with ages ranging from seventy
years down to the infant of a few months. There
were twenty females, including three black slaves
and seven children; and eleven males, including two
stout negroes and three half-grown boys.
With most of these individuals we have only to
do in a general way. They were travelling into the
wilderness, to meet friends and relatives who had
gone there in advance of them to make permanent
homes, and in only so much as they chanced to
move in contact with the more prominent characters
in our drama of life will they be mentioned at all.
Among these latter, however, was one who deserves
-- 031 --
[figure description] Page 031.[end figure description]
immediate attention at our hands. She was a young
lady, in the fresh bloom of nineteen summers, of a
slender, graceful form, an intelligent, vivacious countenance,
and a dark, expressive, and somewhat merry
eye. Her features were regular, and her complexion
almost a brunette. In repose her face was sweet
and pretty; but when animated, with her bright
soul gleaming out in every lineament, it was perfectly
bewitching. In look, language, and manner,
she possessed a wonderful power of pleasing, and
she knew it. There was nothing more attractive
than her pretty mouth, with its full, round, half-parted
lips—nothing more charming than her smile—
nothing more musical than her laugh. She might
have been a coquette, only that at heart she had too
much principle to trifle or deceive by design; but
she was young, lively, and fond of admiration; and
if this combination sometimes led to the same result,
all the facts should be taken into consideration before
the passing of a severe judgment. She was the only
daughter of a man of some political distinction, who
had held the rank of colonel in the American army
during the war of the Revolution, which had just
closed. Her mother had died while she was a mere
child, and her only brother had been killed at the
battle of Brandywine. A maiden aunt had brought
her up with strict propriety, and looked well to her
education; but death had also removed this kind
lady about a year before the opening of our narrative,
and she was now on her way into the wilderness
-- 032 --
[figure description] Page 032.[end figure description]
to join her father, who had resolved to make his
future home in the heart of Kentucky, and cast his
lot with the people of the borders. She was attended
by an old negress, who had been her nurse and was
now her housekeeper; and by a young one, who had
been her playmate and was now her handmaid; and
so much did these servants love their young mistress,
that either would have died for her. By her companions
of the voyage, most of whom were persons
of inferior condition in life, she was spoken of with
envy or admiration, according to their different
natures and dispositions, but always as one with
whom they did not claim equality of station. Such
in brief was Isaline Holcombe, the fair personage
more than once alluded to by Rough Tom as the
colonel's daughter.
As the foremost boat, containing the passengers,
rounded up to the landing at Point Pleasant, Isaline
was standing, with her two black girls beside her,
on what might properly be styled the upper deck of
the rude craft, her bright eyes cast about her with a
look of curiosity and cheerful animation.
“Has we got dar now, Miss Isa?” inquired the old
nurse, as she straightened up her short, squat figure,
puffed out her thick lips, showed her white teeth,
and displayed the whites of her large, rolling eyes
on an ebony back-ground in a rather comical manner.
“If you mean our destination, Cilla, we are not
-- 033 --
[figure description] Page 033.[end figure description]
half way there,” good-naturedly answered her pretty
young mistress.
“Spect dat's what I does mean,” returned the
negress, with a look that showed she was not altogether
certain about the signification of the word.
“Some people axes a great many foolish questions
in de course ob dar lives,” put in the younger
negress, a rather pretty mulatto, with a toss of her
head that showed she laid claim to a decided superiority
over the other.
“And some people minds dar own businesses,
and doesn't trouble dar betters wid obserwations!”
retorted Cilla, with a fierce look of defiance.
“The imperdence of some people—” began the
younger, when her mistress interrupted her with:
“Come, come, Rhoda—and you, too, Priscilla—no
more wrangling—I'll not have it! See that young
man yonder, with his back against a tree and a paper
in his hand, his hat thrown up from his forehead
and his rifle by his side—what is he doing?”
“Sketching!” said a low, clear, bell-like voice.
Isaline started, with a slight flush, turned, and
confronted a young man, who had stolen up behind
her unperceived. He was perhaps five-and-twenty
years of age, of a fine, symmetrical form, and wore
a dress which, though in border style, was of finer
materials than were generally seen in the backwoods
at that period. His hat had a gay feather in
it, and was looped up with silver fastenings; his
hunting-frock, of bottle green, was of cloth which
-- 034 --
[figure description] Page 034.[end figure description]
had come from beyond the seas; his breeches were
of the finest-dressed deer-skin; his belt was worked
with wampum in fanciful devices; his hunting-knife
was silver mounted; his leggins were ornamented
with the quills of the porcupine; and he wore shoes,
instead of moccasins, of shiny leather, which were
adorned with silver buckles. His hands were soft,
and two of his fingers sparkled with rings. In
every respect he was a handsome man, with regular
features, dark, curly hair, dark, expressive eyes, a
slightly aquiline nose, and a perfect mouth; and yet,
with all his manly beauty, there was a something, it
was difficult to say what, which excited a secret
feeling of dread, or fear, or distrust—some such
feeling, in fact, as one might be supposed to experience
under the fascinations of a serpent. You felt
drawn to him, and yet repelled at the same time.
You fancied that, however brilliant his intellect,
there might be dark recesses in his soul, which
human penetration could not fathom. You felt that
he might dazzle—excite your wonder—your admiration,
perhaps—but could never win your love.
Who was he? and what was his history? No one
knew beyond what he had told of himself. For the
past year he had been a resident of the quiet village
in Virginia where Isaline Holcombe had been born
and reared. He had come there a stranger, and
given his name as Charles Hampton, from England,
the third son of an English lord. By birth and
means he had claimed to be a gentleman, travelling
-- 035 --
[figure description] Page 035.[end figure description]
partly for pleasure and partly with the view of purchasing
a property and settling permanently in
America. His finished manners and show of wealth
had made him an object of interest to the higher
classes, and he had been cordially received on his
own representation and given the entrée of the best
society. Among other ladies of note he had met
Isaline, and paid her much attention. Some thought
him a suitor for her hand. Perhaps he was. At
all events, no sooner had it been made known that
she was to go West, to meet her father and there
remain, than he had announced it as his intention
of trying his fortune in the wilderness also. Uniting
with those who were preparing for the same journey,
he had made suitable purchases and arrangements,
and was now so far on his way into the wild region
of peril. Of the state of affairs between him and
Isaline, it is only necessary to say that, possessing
the fascinations of the coquette, though with far
higher principle, she had already, young as she was,
won many a heart without yet losing her own.
“I was not aware, Mr. Hampton,” said Isaline,
with rather marked emphasis, as she turned upon
him with a slightly flushed face, “that I was putting
my question to you! If you had a heavier foot,
your approach might be oftener heard!”
“I trust I have given you no offence, Miss Holcombe!”
he said, with a perceptible flush on his own
dark features.
“Offence may be too strong a term,” she answered,
-- 036 --
[figure description] Page 036.[end figure description]
with dignity; “but sudden surprises are not always
agreeable.”
“I crave your pardon, then! aad if I had a pair
of hob-nails, I would put them on and stumble my
way up to you!” returned Hampton, with such serio-comic
earnestness that Isaline, with the ridiculous
picture forming in her mind, burst into a hearty
laugh.
“I forgive you, Sir Knight of the `Clouted
Brogues!' ” she cried. “But what of that fellow
yonder? who is he? and what is he sketching?”
“Who he is, is more than I know,” replied Hampton;
“and, saving your presence, more than I care
to know: some country bumpkin, no doubt, who
knows how to handle his rifle better than his pencil,
and his axe and hoe better than either. From his
manner of looking and working, I judge he is trying
to make a rough sketch of this boat and its motley
passengers; but as we just now happen to be the
most conspicuous figures of the group, I hope we
may not be made to resemble either sheep, or cows,
or even respectable bears!”
Isaline laughed merrily; and tapping her old
nurse on the shoulder, she said:
“That man is drawing your likeness, Cilla. Only
think of your being mistaken for a cow!”
“'Fore Heaben, Miss Isa, he shan't make no sich
critter of dis chile!” cried the black, rolling her eyes
angrily, and hurrying away, with the graceful waddle
of a goose.
-- 037 --
[figure description] Page 037.[end figure description]
“And what say you to it, Rhoda?”
“Oh, I'm not a bit skeered!” replied the waitingmaid,
pouting her lips in derision.
As the boat drew up to the landing, quite a large
group of men, women and children, consisting of
the scouts and the inmates of the fort, collected on
the bank, to meet and exchange civilities with the
voyagers; and in a very short time they were promiscuously
mingled—a part from the shore leaping
on board the boat, and a number from the boat
springing upon the land. Some from both parties
had met before, and these greeted each other like
old friends, and there was a general feeling of cordiality
among all, for such was the direct simplicity
of the backwoods, where the freezing formality of
fashionable usage was either not understood or
wholly disregarded.
Among the foremost to leap aboard the boat was
Rough Tom, whose manner was that of a man having
authority.
“Whar's the colonel's darter?” was his first
inquiry, as he elbowed his way among the crowd.
Some one directed him to where Isaline was still
standing, in company with Hampton, an amused and
interested spectator of what was taking place, and
the next minute he was by her side. Her grace and
beauty, to say nothing of her dress, seemed to take
him a little by surprise, and cause him more embarrassment
than he had expected to feel; but he
was naturally too blunt and straightforward to
-- 038 --
[figure description] Page 038.[end figure description]
hesitate long about addressing any one with whom he
had business. Doffing his hat, and making a rude
bow—a remarkable act of polite gallantry on his
part—he said:
“And so you're Colonel Holcombe's darter, hey?”
“I have the honor so to be!” returned Isaline,
with polite dignity and an inquiring look.
“Ye-es,” drawled the old woodman, fumbling with
his hat, and looking directly into her face, with a
kind of rude admiration, “I didn't 'spect to see quite
so purty a gal.”
“Well, man, what is your business with this
young lady?” spoke up Hampton, in a haughty tone,
with a flush of anger, as if he felt there was an
insult offered to one whom it was his duty to protect.
Rough Tom turned his gaze from Isaline to the
speaker, and coolly and deliberately surveyed him
from head to foot and from foot to head. Then a
sullen frown settled on his brow, and there was a
good deal of contempt in his words, as he said:
“What's that to you?”
“Everything, fellow, since I claim to be this
lady's protector!” quickly answered Hampton, with
a flash of angry defiance.
“Who gin you the right?”
“That is my business, fellow!”
“Wall,” growled old Tom, with a grin of contempt,
“ef she don't hev nothing better'n sich a
popified monkey as you to purtect her through the
-- 039 --
[figure description] Page 039.[end figure description]
wilderness, her sculp won't be wo'th a possum's tail
to her in a week!”
“Fellow, you are insolent, and don't seem to know
you are addressing a gentleman!” said Hampton, his
temper almost getting the better of his dignity.
Tom gave a loud, contemptuous laugh; and then
suddenly changing his appearance and manner to
one of startling ferocity, he stepped forward, shook
his finger in Hampton's face, and said in a low, but
terribly impressive, tone:
“See he yar, strannger—you don't seem to know
that you're talking to a man that kin jest turn you
inside out, like the skin of a eel, and arter that ram
you down your own throat!”
“Physically, I admit, you are my superior,” returned
Hampton, with a somewhat quailing eye, and
placing one hand on the haft of his knife; “but you
will please bear in mind there are weapons that can
make up for the lack of bodily strength!”
“Is it fight, strannger?” demanded the old woodman,
with a convulsive clutch of his rifle.
“No, not here, by any means!” cried Isaline, who
now seemed to think it time to interfere.
“I axes your pardon, marm, for gitting my mad
up for this slinking finiky, and overlooking your
sweet face! but you see, marm, when he begun to
poke his nose in 'twixt me and you, it fotched up
the devil in me as big as a catermount, and I forgot
myself. I've come straight from your father, marm,
and brung you a letter from him!”
-- 040 --
[figure description] Page 040.[end figure description]
“My father!” cried Isaline, with an expression of
eager delight; “oh, I'm so glad! Quick! tell me—
how is he? what did he say? where is the letter?”
“Wall, that I haint got about me—Harry Colburn,
my pardner, tuk charge of that.”
“Who is he? and where is he?” almost impatiently
demanded Isaline.
“He's a gintleman, full-blooded, and none of your
monkey make-believes!” replied old Tom, with a
contemptuous glance toward the scowling Hampton;
“but whar he ar', that's another thing—though,
wharsomever he ar', I'll bet a deer-skin agin a charge
of powder he's spyling paper with a pictur!”
“Is he an artist, then?” said Isaline.
“So'thing like that I believe they calls it.”
“Perhaps that is him yonder, then, by that tree?”
“As sure as shooting!” cried Tom, looking in the
direction indicated: “I knowed it!”
“Oh, call him hither, at once—I am so anxious
to get the letter from my father!” said Isaline.
Tom shouted the name of his young companion,
in a tone loud enough to be heard a mile. Henry
looked up.
“He-yar!” continued the scout; “the colonel's
darter wants yer!”
The young man looked steadily at the boat for a
few moments, and then, putting aside his drawings,
hurried down to the landing and came aboard. As
he approached Isaline, he, like the old woodman,
seemed struck with her air and beauty, and a modest
-- 041 --
[figure description] Page 041.[end figure description]
blush mantled his handsome face. Isaline greeted
him with one of her sweetest smiles.
“Your friend here tells me,” she said, “you bring
me a letter from my dear father!”
“If I have the honor of addressing Colonel Holcombe's
daughter!” returned Henry, lifting his hat,
with a graceful bow.
Isaline bowed assent, with another fascinating
smile, and the other immediately produced the missive,
with its large red seal and gay ribbon. Isaline
eagerly opened it, and for the next five minutes
remained completely absorbed with its contents.
While she was so engaged, Rough Tom drew Henry
aside and conversed with him in low tones; and
Charles Hampton, with a dark frown on his brow,
paced moodily to and fro, with his eyes fixed on the
deck, as if brooding over the insult he had so recently
received.
“Thanks for good news, my friends—for so I see,
by my father's sanction, I am entitled to call you!”
at length exclaimed Isaline, addressing the scouts.
“You are named in the letter as Thomas Sturgess
and Henry Colburn, and I am desired to put all
confidence in you, and to consider myself completely
under your charge!”
“Tom Sturgess—Rough Tom—that thar's me!”
said the old woodman; “and with the colonel's own
hand-write for me to see you safe through the wilderness,
I'd jest like to know who's got arything to say
agin it!” and he glanced triumphantly and defiantly
-- 042 --
[figure description] Page 042.[end figure description]
at Hampton, who seemed to scowl more darkly, but
without lifting his eyes.
“I am most proud and happy to be one assigned
to so pleasant a duty!” said Henry Colburn, turning
his gaze upon the fair girl with an admiring blush.
Their eyes met, and in that moment something
passed between the souls of each which neither had
experienced before. By a simultaneous impulse,
both silently turned their glances aside and encountered
the dark, fiery orbs of Charles Hampton,
and both felt that in the same minute of time they
had looked upon the good and evil of their future
destiny.
-- 043 -- p473-048
CHAPTER IV. THE DEADLY QUARREL.
[figure description] Page 043.[end figure description]
The voyage of our adventurers down the Ohio
River was, to some of them, comparatively pleasant,
and to others quite the reverse. The scouts took
charge of the boats so far as to direct their movements.
At night they generally drew near the
Kentucky shore and anchored in still water, but no
one except an experienced woodman was permitted
to land. Their progress was necessarily slow, but
safety rather than speed was the object of those in
command.
It could not be otherwise than that the acquaintance
of Henry and Isaline, begun and continued
under the circumstances we have mentioned, should
ripen into intimacy far more speedily than would
have been the case in an ordinary state of affairs.
There was something congenial in their natures;
both were young, educated, and refined; to both the
world was full of beauty, poetry, and romance; they
were bound together by general interests and general
perils; and there was an absence of that restraint
imposed by formal society, and the cold,
watchful care of calculating guardians. Thus
thrown together, with many an hour for
-- 044 --
[figure description] Page 044.[end figure description]
uniterrupted conversation, a few days brought them to a
knowledge of each other which months might not
have effected under the usual conditions of conventional
society.
Of the two, however, it may not be amiss to say
that Henry was the most direct, earnest, singleminded
and sincere. We have before remarked
that, though not at heart a coquette, there was a
certain want of steady balance in the nature of Isaline
that permitted a strong leaning that way—an
insecurity of youth and general love of admiration
that inclined her ear to what a sounder or perhaps
a more mature judgment would have rejected. She
was disposed to rejoice in an extreme admiration
rising almost to the strength of a passion, for which
she had no adequate reciprocity of feeling; and
while she was one to exact all and wholly the love
of him to whom she was most inclined, she was
ready to claim the right of dividing her own affections
among as many as her caprice might choose.
Thus far she had never met another who had made
on her so profound an impression, had so completely
filled the void of her soul, as the young roving
hunter and artist; and yet her manner was such as
to give his handsome rival, against whom the instincts
of her nature secretly revolted, almost as much
encouragement as himself.
Of course there was no friendship, nor even show
of friendship, between two such opposite natures,
brought together under such circumstances, as
-- 045 --
[figure description] Page 045.[end figure description]
Charles Hampton and Henry Colburn. They had
been formally introduced to each other by Isaline,
who had playfully remarked, that, as she regarded
both as her lawful protectors and defenders, she
hoped they would henceforth be companions and
friends. Both had bowed civilly but coldly, had
exchanged a few common-place remarks, and had
scarcely spoken since. Being both on the same
boat, and coming in contact with the same lady,
they had often been compelled to meet; but either
a cold, haughty bow, or a studied disregard of the
presence of the other, had invariably been the result.
Of course Isaline had not failed to perceive this
mutual dislike; but she had apparently taken no
notice of it, dividing her attentions between the two
as if she had thought them the best of friends.
Hampton, however, had gradually become moody,
discontented and peevish. He was not popular
among the passengers and crew, and he knew it.
Though no further words had passed between him
and Rough Tom, the latter had not failed to express
his opinion of him in the most contemptuous language;
and among his companions, and men of that
class, the opinions of the old woodman always carried
a good deal of weight.
Such was the state of affairs, when, on a calm,
pleasant day, as the three boats were quietly floating
down the river—the one containing the passengers
a few feet in advance of the others—a large bird, of
very bright, many colored plumage, came flying
-- 046 --
[figure description] Page 046.[end figure description]
over the foremost, on its way from the Ohio to the
Kentucky shore.
“Oh, how beautiful!” exclaimed Isaline, who, with
many others, including Hampton and Colburn, was
standing on the deck: “how I wish its bright
feathers were mine!”
“And so they shall be!” said Hampton, catching
up his silver-mounted rifle, which was leaning
against a box, within a few feet of his hand, and
firing with a quick aim.
Apparently the bird was either slightly touched,
or sensibly felt the wind of the ball—for it made
a quick dart downward, of some fifty feet, and then
seemed to increase its speed in the same horizontal
direction as before.
“A miss is as good as a mile!” said Isaline, turning
playfully to Hampton.
As she spoke, there was another sharp crack—
this time from the rifle of Henry, who had seized his
weapon and fired with as quick an aim as the other—
and the gay bird, checked suddenly in its flight
by the swift messenger of death, dropped lead-like
down upon the water. There was a light skiff
fastened to the boat, and in less than a minute the
lithe form of young Colburn was seen standing in
this and using the paddle with the grace and skill
of a French voyageur. Gliding round his prize, he
seized and held it up in triumph, amid the plaudits
of the spectators; and almost the next minute he
-- 047 --
[figure description] Page 047.[end figure description]
was back again upon the deck, and at the side of the
flattered beauty.
“Permit me the honor, fair lady,” he said, in a
gay tone, “of laying my beautiful trophy at your
feet!”
Before Isaline could reply, Charles Hampton
stepped quickly forward, with a pale face, burning
eye, and quivering lip, and, in a marked and sneering
tone, said:
“A questionable trophy, Miss Holcombe! since,
as you are aware, it was only obtained by robbing
another of his right!”
Henry flushed to the temples, and his clear blue
eye had a peculiar gleam, as he rejoined:
“Miss Holcombe and all others will bear me witness,
that I only robbed the bird of a life it was
bearing away unharmed from the bullet of an uncertain
marksman!”
“It is false!” cried Hampton; “it was my ball
alone that killed the bird!”
“It requires a wonderful conceit to think so!”
said Colburn.
“It requires only the truth, to which you are a
stranger!” retorted Hampton, quivering with suppressed
passion.
“Sir,” said the young artist, advancing to his rival
and speaking in a low, determined tone, “these are
insults only to be borne in the presence of ladies!”
“Which I will repeat when there are no such
reasons for a lack of manhood!” rejoined Hampton,
-- 048 --
[figure description] Page 048.[end figure description]
with an expression that might well have become a
fiend.
“Come, come, gentlemen,” said Isaline, beginning
to grow alarmed, “there must be no quarrelling
here! Already I regret the expression of a wish
which has given an occasion for angry words!”
“The angels above are not more innocent of any
wrong intent than yourself,” said Henry, “and for
one I am heartily ashamed of what has passed in
your presence! That the like may not be repeated
or continued, permit me to withdraw for the present!”
and with a low bow he turned on his heel and went
below.
“And are you not ashamed of yourself too?”
said Isaline, turning to Hampton.
“No! why should I be?”
“Because it was all your fault.”
“How so?”
“You claimed that which was not your own.”
“I deny it, Miss Holcombe! That bird was mine—
I killed it.”
“Why did it not fall, then, before Mr. Colburn
fired?”
“It is a common thing, when the breath is in, for
a bird, shot directly through the heart, to fly some
considerable distance, and then fall dead,” replied
Hampton. “If my ball did not strike it, why did
it so suddenly drop downward on the discharge of
my piece?”
“Possibly you may have hit it, Mr. Hampton!”
-- 049 --
[figure description] Page 049.[end figure description]
“Possibly I may have killed it, Miss Holcombe!”
“And even granting you did, was it becoming
for a gentleman to have so many angry words about
it?”
“It is always right for a gentleman to claim his
own, and not suffer himself to be robbed by a mere
adventurer!”
“I hold, sir, that you are to blame!”
“Of course you do! I could not expect any
other verdict from you, considering in whose favor
it is made!” said Hampton, with a covert sneer.
“You forget yourself, sir!” said Isaline, proudly
and coldly, with the color mounting to her temples;
and, turning abruptly away, she walked to another
part of the boat, leaving the angry Hampton alone
with his own dark thoughts.
This affair caused some excited discussion among
the passengers—a few, if only for the sake of obstinate
argument, contending that Hampton was right—
but neither he, Colburn, nor Isaline exchanged
another word with each other during the day.
At sunset the three boats were anchored as usual
near the Kentucky shore, in a pleasant little cove,
where, on the lower headland, the shore descended
abruptly, with trees and bushes overhanging the
water, while on the upper bank, as if by some peculiar
freak of nature, an open, level wood stretched
back for some considerable distance. The sun set
in a cloud, which soon spread a thick pall over the
heavens, and the night became so intensely dark that
-- 050 --
[figure description] Page 050.[end figure description]
the shore was completely hidden from the view; but
as no Indians, nor signs of Indians had thus far been
discovered, no one felt much alarm on this account;
and if the occasional howl of a hungry wolf, or
gloomy hooting of an owl, or sharp, tremulous cry
of a loon, did sometimes make the more timid quite
nervous and uneasy, the majority gave little heed
to sounds that they knew as much belonged to the
wilderness as the trees of the forest.
The boat occupied by our voyagers, had been constructed
with a view to the accommodation of passengers.
In its general appearance it was not unlike
a modern scow. The middle portion of it was
roofed over, and the interior was contrived with
stationary and hanging berths, sufficient for the
lodging of the women and children—the men, for
the most part, preferring to camp down in their
blankets wherever the fancy pleased them. A
regular watch was set every night, and such precautions
taken as were considered necessary and
prudent in passing through the country of a savage
enemy. One of the rules laid down by the scouts
was, that no one, except an experienced woodman,
or some one especially under his charge, should be
permitted to land on either shore, either in the
day time or night time; and this regulation being
regarded as one which concerned the safety of all,
no one made the least objection to the imposed restraint;
and therefore all the cooking for the different
parties was done on board, and the boat became as
-- 051 --
[figure description] Page 051.[end figure description]
much a home to the adventurers as they would have
found in a larger vessel upon the great deep.
The evening meal had been prepared and eaten
by the different families and messes, and the women
and children had mostly retired for the night,
when Charles Hampton, who was seated in the forward
part of the boat, brooding over his fancied
wrongs, received a gentle tap on the shoulder. He
started quickly, looked round fiercely, and confronted
the shadowy figure of a man, standing in a skiff
along side of the larger craft, but whose approach
he had not heard.
“Hush!” whispered a voice; “don't be alarmed!
but tell me if you're Charles Hampton?”
Hampton rose, stepped back a pace, laid his hand
upon a pistol, and answered, but in a whisper also:
“I am! And now who are you? and what do
you want?”
“I'm Jim Davis, one of the scouts, and the friend
of Henry Colburn.”
“Well?”
“I'd like you to pick your friend and rifle, and
come along with me!”
“Where to? and for what purpose?”
“Where you can try your skill on a man, instead
of a bird!”
“Oh, I am challenged, them?”
“You're expected to fight. But don't let anybody
hear us talk about it—for if the women get
hold on't it, there'll be the deuce to pay!”
-- 052 --
[figure description] Page 052.[end figure description]
“I don't understand this backwoods way of doing
business!” said Hampton, in a loud tone, as if he
was willing, if not anxious, to have other listeners.
“In my country a man is openly challenged, and his
reply waited for, and he is not asked to sneak off in
the dark, the Lord knows where; and besides, if his
challenger is not his equal, he is at liberty to refuse
a meeting altogether; and moreover he can, if he
accepts, choose his time, place, and weapons, and not
have everything picked out for him by his enemy.”
“Well,” returned the other, “I don't pretend, of
course, to know what every man means who talks in
this here roundabout way; but I reckon I won't be
a great ways from the mark, if I puts you down as
one of them that's much better at fighting with your
tongue nor your rifle—a squaw-man, as the Injuns
say.”
“What means this insolence?”
“Oh, if you're going to bluster, say so! and if
you're a going to fight, say so! for I can do a heap
better with my time nor fool it away with you!”
“I'm willing and ready, at any and all times, to
fight an equal,” said Hampton, assuming a proud,
haughty tone; “but as for giving every upstart and
adventurer a meeting, that is out of the question!”
“I can't say how it is in England,” rejoined Davis,
“but out here, in the wilds of free America, every
man's the equal of every other man, till he does
so thing to disgrace himself, as you're doing now, if
-- 053 --
[figure description] Page 053.[end figure description]
you don't just come along and give the man you
insulted satisfaction.”
“Let him first convince me he is a gentleman, and
then he shall have satisfaction in any manner he
pleases!”
“I'm to understand, then, that you won't fight
Henry Colburn?”
“Under present circumstances, no!”
“Then I'll go back and report what you've said,”
returned Davis.
The next moment the little boat shot away in the
darkness, with so light a dip of the oar that it was
scarcely heard. Thirty paces carried it to one of
the other large boats, where Henry Colburn and his
companions were awaiting the return of their messenger.
“He's a coward, and won't fight!” reported Davis,
as he appeared among his friends.
“I thought as much,” said Henry.
“The —— finiky slink!” growled Rough Tom,
with an oath we need not repeat.
“What's his reason for refusing?” inquired one of
the others.
“He puts on that he's a gentleman, and says
Harry must prove himself one before he'll give
him satisfaction!” replied Davis, who, though not a
man of education, was superior to some of his companions
in the use of language.
“Woofh!” grunted old Tom; “he's a gintleman,
is he? I'll fix him! We've got hosses aboard the
-- 054 --
[figure description] Page 054.[end figure description]
to'ther boat, that keep the niggers busy. They'd
like a little rest, I know. We'll guv 'em help—
we'll send 'em a fresh hand. Ef Mr. Lord Hampton's
a gintleman, he'll know what hosses is; and ef
he backs down from this yere fight, we'll put him
thar, under the niggers, and let him work his passage.”
“One or two of the horses are his own,” said
Henry.
“All the better, then.”
“But you can hardly carry out your threat, Tom.”
“Can't I? Let me alone for that! Jest you go
back, Jim Davis, and tell him what we've fixed on—
that he's eyther got to fight Harry Colburn to-night
by fire-light—fa'r, squar', and stand up, with rifles—
or else we'll turn him into a nigger hostler! Woofh!
I've said it!—me—old Rough Tom—and whar's the
use?”
“I'll not be long in fetching his answer,” said
Davis, who immediately departed on his errand.
In about a quarter of an hour he returned, accompanied
by Charles Hampton himself. As the latter
came aboard the freight-boat, and joined the group
of men who were seated around a small fire kindled
on some sand near the bow, it was observed that his
dark features were deadly pale, that his lips were
so compressed as to drive the blood from them, and
that his black, snaky eyes had a very wicked, murderous
look.
“I have come here,” he said, in a cold, haughty
-- 055 --
[figure description] Page 055.[end figure description]
tone, “almost on compulsion, to answer any demands
that may be made on me. I know I have no friends
among you, and that physically I am unable to resist
your power; but, in the name of civilization, I
demand fair play and the rights of a gentleman!”
There never was a class of rough men more
favorably disposed to the justice of such a claim
than the early pioneers of the West. Fair play was
all they asked for themselves, and what they were
always ready to grant even to an enemy. Whether
he knew it or not, Charles Hampton had luckily
chosen a manner and selected words the best calculated
to excite the sympathy and touch the manhood
of men whose admiration of true courage was only
equalled by their detestation of cowardice; and
though, on his first appearance among them, they
had regarded him with scowls of angry contempt,
they now, one and all, even to Rough Tom, felt disposed
to accord him a certain degree of respect.
“By heavens,” replied Davis, “I'll see you have
fair play as far as I'm concerned!”
“And so we all will!” cried another.
“Yes, young man, I'll sw'ar to 't, even ef you is
a lord, or any other —— foolish finiky—anything,
in fact, cept the cussed, sneaking slink I tuk you
for!” joined in old Tom. “You shall hev a good
rifle, ef I even has to lend you mine, and good
ground too, and a fa'r show; and arter you're killed,
as I 'spect you will be, we'll see that you're put
-- 056 --
[figure description] Page 056.[end figure description]
under ground like a Christian, and not left lying
around loose for the wolves and buzzards to feed on!”
“I am much obliged to you,” returned Hampton,
with a covert sneer; “but if it is all the same to
you, I would rather not be buried just yet; and as
for your rifle, I should not need it, even were I to
use one, seeing that I have one quite as good of my
own. I do not expect this affair to be settled with
rifles, however. I am the challenged party, and as
such, by the code of honor, have a right to name
the weapons, time, and place. Mr. Davis, as you
have so kindly volunteered to see fair play, I call
on you to act as my second!”
“Hold up!” interposed Tom. “Thar's agwine to
be fa'r play, fur that I've swore to; and to hev fa'r
play, thar's got to be rifles!”
“I shall choose pistols,” said Hampton.
“Pistols? bah! woofh! wagh!” cried Tom, with
all the contempt he could express. “Whar's the
use? As well say pop-guns to onct!”
“They are gentlemen's weapons,” rejoined Hampton,
and I am a gentleman. Mr. Davis, as my
friend in this matter, you will speak for me!”
“See he-yar,” roared Tom, with a burst of anger,
“don't come any of your—follumdicum-fiddle-de-diddles
over me, about your gintlemen, pistols, and
them things! Whar's the use? You're on old
Kaintuck waters, now; you insulted your man thar,
and you've got to take Kaintuck rigelations! Boys,
see he-yar!” pursued Tom, more particularly
-- 057 --
[figure description] Page 057.[end figure description]
addressing his companions; “what war all this yere rumpus
about, hey? I'll tell ye. Both of these yere young
fellers shot at a bird, and both claimed they killed
it. Then one insulted t'other afore the woman, for
which he's axed to fight. Ef both is sich good shots
with the rifle, why don't they let the rifle settle it,
hey? It's a Kaintuck we'pon, it's a Varginee we'pon,
it's a backwoods we'pon, and, by —, it's good
enough for anything as wears ha'r!”
This argument settled the point; for all agreed
with the old scout, that the rifle was the only proper
weapon for the occasion—more especially as the
quarrel was directly connected with the use of it.
The next two points to be considered, were time
and place; and for various reasons it was decided
there was no better time than the present, and no
better place than the neighboring forest, beyond the
hearing of the women.
“As I'm to have no voice in the matter, notwithstanding
all your boasted fair play,” said Hampton,
“I may as well prepare myself to be murdered in an
honorable way!”
“You'll hev to take your chance,” answered
Rough Tom; “and ef you're as good with the rifle
as you brag on, I'spect thar'll be two dead men for
us to kiver; but arter the insult you gin Harry Colburn,
thar's nothing to be done 'cept fight him, beg
his pardine afore the women, or git kicked into a
nigger hostler—you kin hev your choice of them
thar three!”
-- 058 --
[figure description] Page 058.[end figure description]
“Lead on, then!” rejoined Hampton; “for sooner
than ask the pardon of an upstart adventurer like
him, I would see myself sunk a thousand fathoms in
the bowels of the earth!”
Henry was within hearing of all this, but he made
no reply, though his lips were observed to compress,
and there was a peculiar gleam of his deep blue eye
that boded no good to his deadly foe.
Everything was soon prepared for the fire-light
duel, and the several parties went ashore in three
small boats, leaving only two men in charge of the
larger ones—all the others, including the boys and
the negroes, having camped down for the night.
Landing on the level—where the wood, as before
mentioned, was open and clear of bushes—they
pushed directly back for nearly half a mile; and
then, with some resinous pine-knots which they had
brought with them, they kindled two fires, about
thirty yards apart. Some distance back of these,
just so that their figures began to grow shadowy, with
the smoking, wavering flames between them, they
stationed Hampton and Colburn. The object of such
an arrangement will readily be perceived. Both of
the young men were quick and deadly marksmen;
and a duel by daylight, with rifles, would give neither
a chance for his life; but the flickering fire-light
would be likely to render the momentary aim of
each uncertain.
All the preliminaries having been settled, the
principals duly placed, and the rifles loaded and put
-- 059 --
[figure description] Page 059.[end figure description]
in hand, the seconds retired a few paces, and Davis
announced that he was to give the word.
The scene was novel, picturesque and impressive.
Here, under one of the long arches of the
grand old forest, with trees of many centuries'
growth around them, stretching upward their huge
trunks like so many mighty pillars for the support
of the leafy canopy above, stood two men, rifles in
hand, prepared to deal out death and receive it, with
two flickering fire-lights between them, casting grim,
ghostly, changing shadows over their pale, determined
faces, seemingly making them scowl and grin
like demons, and flashing out upon the seconds and
the group of borderers standing back watching them,
and pushing uncertain light far out into the mysterious
darkness, filling the fanciful mind with a
weird-like dread and awe. There were a few moments
of deadly silence, during which each felt the
deep solemnity of the place and the occasion; and
then the clear words rung sharply out, and went
echoing and re-echoing far away through the long,
dim, and dark forest aisles, like so many voices calling
to judgment:
“Ready, gentlemen!”
Were they ready for eternity?
The rifles of the two deadly adversaries were instantly
brought into position for the awful work
before them, and each man held his breath, listening
for the signal which might send one or two living
souls beyond the confines of earth and time.
-- 060 --
[figure description] Page 060.[end figure description]
At that awful moment, instead of the expected
signal, the whole forest seemed to resound with a
strange, wild, shrill, prolonged, quavering shriek,
that apparently rose from earth to heaven, and floated,
danced, and died out in mid air. It was fearful
and unearthly, and well calculated to make the
stoutest heart quake and quail. The scouts looked
at each other with faces blanched with terror. They
who could brave the dangers of the wilderness like
heroes, and face death like stoics, trembled and grew
pale before the mystery that stretched out beyond
their mental grasp.
“Good God, save us!” cried old Tom; “it's eyther
the Phantom or the Devil!”
He turned and dashed away through the forest,
and the others followed him, all save Hampton and
Colburn, who still remained on the ground where
their seconds had placed them.
A devilish gleam of triumph now shot over the
dark features of Hampton, amid the fiendish shadows
of the fire-light, as he beheld his rival apparently in
his power.
“I came to kill him, and I will!” he muttered.
He raised his rifle, took a steady aim, and fired.
At that instant Henry chanced to move his head, and
the ball grazed his cheek.
“Villain!” he cried; “it is my turn, now!”
But Hampton gave him no opportunity for a shot.
Finding he had himself failed to bring down his
-- 061 --
[figure description] Page 061.[end figure description]
enemy, he darted behind the nearest tree, and fled
swiftly through the forest, and into that darkness to
which his vile spirit belonged.
What was it that followed him? As he fled,
Henry saw some dark object, in size and form not
unlike a human being, leap down from a tree near
him, and dart away after him, uttering a wild shriek,
similar to that which had so terrified his companions.
The next minute he heard the yell of Hampton, succeeded
by a shriek of his mysterious pursuer. These
sounds were several times repeated, and gradually
died away in the far distance; and then Henry found
himself all alone in the deep, gloomy forest, with
the two flickering fire-lights causing strange, fantastic
shadows to dance all around him. A feeling
of awe and dread now took possession of him, and he
also turned and fled from the eventful scene.
-- 062 -- p473-067
CHAPTER V. THE DECOY.
[figure description] Page 062.[end figure description]
WHEN Henry reached the bank of the river, he
found, to his surprise and somewhat to his dismay,
that he was not at the place where he had come
ashore; but whether he was now above or below
the proper point, he could not tell, till he chanced
to recollect the close-wooded hill on the other headland,
and then he knew he had gone up the stream
instead of down. As we have said, the night was
very dark; and while within the forest, where nothing
could be seen, it was so much more a matter
of chance than calculation which had brought him
to the river at all, that he felt very thankful to find
he had not gone further astray and become completely
lost. He immediately set out to pick his
way downward along the bank; and though he
made what haste he could, it took him a full hour
to reach the place of landing. No boat of course
was there, for his really frightened companions had
hurried aboard the larger boats with them, and
were now congratulating themselves that they had
escaped with their lives from the dreadful Unknown
of the forest.
“Halloo the boat!” shouted Henry.
-- 063 --
[figure description] Page 063.[end figure description]
“Who's thar?” was the response of Tom.
“It is me—Henry Colburn.”
“Sure it's you?”
“Yes.”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Don't believe a —— word on't! You're only
the ghost of yourself!”
“Don't be a fool, Tom! but come ashore here
with a boat, and I'll soon convince you I'm worth
a thousand ghosts!” cried Henry, half amused and
half vexed at the superstitious fears of one of the
bravest scouts and hunters of the borders.
“It sounds powerful like him,” he heard Tom say
to one of his companions, “and I've a notion to risk
it.”
“Come, come, Tom, if you're afraid of me, it is
time you were leaving the wilderness for some finiky
settlement, as you call it!” cried Henry.
“Hold on, then!” returned the old woodman; “I'll
be with you in a jiffy.”
The dip of an oar was now heard, and a minute
after the bow of a small skiff touched the shore.
Henry had been so long accustomed to the awful
darkness of the woods, that he was barely able to
see it floating up to the bank, like an indistinct
shadow, and he hastened to meet it.
“Is it you, Tom?” he queried, as he stepped into
it.
“ 'Spect it ar,” replied that worthy, “though I've
-- 064 --
[figure description] Page 064.[end figure description]
been so infarnally skeered, that I hardly know myself
from a pine stump. Woofh! warn't that
shriek orful? I thought we war all goners then
sure! and when we got yere, and didn't find you
amongst us, we allowed the Demon had got you.
How'd ye git off, Harry?”
“It was fearful,” returned Henry, shuddering at
the thought of all he had heard, seen, and passed
through, “and when I get aboard the larger boat I
will tell you all about it.”
His companions greeted him as one just rescued
from a fate worse than death, and a dozen eager
questions were pressed upon him in a breath. He
related all that had occurred after they left him, up
to the time of his rejoining them. Great was their
indignation at the murderous attempt of Hampton,
and equally great was their satisfaction at the thought
that the Devil now had him, for he had not yet returned,
and no one now believed he ever would.
“ 'Spect it war him all the time as the Devil war
arter!” muttered Tom; “and ef he's got him, as I'
spect he has, it'll maybe keep us from doing a lettle
private hanging—the lying, cowardly, slinking
white nigger!”
Some two hours were spent in talking over the
events of the night—Tom, as usual, predicting the
most disastrous consequences to spring from the
appearance of the Phantom, or Demon, or whatever
it might be, and his equally superstitious companions
for the most part agreeing with him.
-- 065 --
[figure description] Page 065.[end figure description]
“I tell you, boys, thar'll so'thing orful come on't!”
repeated Tom, some twenty times, with an ominous
shake of his head.
“So you said,” observed Henry, “when you saw
the Thing before; but you see we are both alive yet,
and nothing serious has come of it so far.”
“Wall, can't you guv it time!” snarled Tom, who
did not like the idea of being considered a false
prognosticator. “You'll see! Whar's the use?”
“It would be very strange, indeed, if something
serious should not happen in the course of time!”
laughed Henry. “If that is what you mean, we are
well agreed.”
Nothing serious, however, occurred that night,
and at daylight the boats resumed their progress
down the river. To the great delight of his companions,
Henry made a sketch of the scene in the
forest, at the moment when the strange Unknown
was in the act of leaping down from the tree in
pursuit of Hampton. It was drawn from memory,
with great fidelity, and the lights and shades were
managed with true artistic effect.
He showed it to Isaline, who, having retired early
the evening before, as yet knew nothing about the
events of the night.
“It is a strange sort of picture,” she said, “but
what does it represent?”
“A scene I witnessed last night.”
“You?”
-- 066 --
[figure description] Page 066.[end figure description]
“Even I, Miss Holcombe. This figure is intended
for myself.”
“Were you then ashore and in the forest?”
“I was.”
“And what is this leaping down from the tree?
a human being, or an animal?”
“I do not know—it looks there as it appeared to
me.”
“And who is this running here?”
“Charles Hampton.”
“Ha!” cried Isaline, turning quickly, catching him
by the arm, and looking keenly into his eyes; “you
and he quarreled, yesterday! and what were you
doing together in the forest last night?”
“After gentlemen quarrel, it sometimes becomes
necessary for them to meet and settle their differences.”
“You went to fight a duel?”
“Respect for myself and companions required me
to demand satisfaction for the gross insults I received
yesterday in your presence!”
“Oh, heavens! and you fought?” cried Isaline,
with a nervous clasping of her hands. “I might
have known you would!”
“No, we did not fight, for we were interrupted,
as you see.”
“And where is Charles Hampton now?”
“I do not know.”
“Is he living?”
“I cannot say—he has not returned.”
-- 067 --
[figure description] Page 067.[end figure description]
“You did not kill him?”
“No, I did not harm him—though he treacherously
fired at me, and then ran like a coward.”
“Thank God that at least his blood is not on your
soul!” said Isaline, fervently.
“At least I am spared that reflection, though I
was strongly tempted to send a ball through him.
The last I saw of him, he was flying in fear, and the
strange Unknown was pursuing him, uttering hideous
shrieks.”
“And this strange Unknown, as you call it—what
do you suppose it is?”
“I hardly pretend to conjecture,” replied Henry.
“It, or something like it, has many times been seen
and heard in the forest by the scouts and hunters,
who are superstitious enough to believe it something
supernatural—though, in that respect, I am not prepared
to agree with them. My rough companions
fear it more than they would a host of Indians; and
they say that, after it is seen and heard, something
evil always befalls the unfortunate party—though
even of that I am not so sure. When the word was
on the point of being given, last night, that might
have proved fatal to Hampton or myself, or perhaps
both, the air was filled with a prolonged and terrible
shriek, and all who were present with us turned
and fled in wild dismay, leaving us alone in our
positions. I admit I was a good deal unnerved and
startled myself, and was on the point of following
their example, when Hampton, with murderous
-- 068 --
[figure description] Page 068.[end figure description]
treachery, fired at me, the ball just grazing my cheek,
as you can perceive by this red mark. Then, fearing
I might shoot him down like a dog, as I was certainly
tempted to do, he turned and ran also; and this
Creature, with more wild shrieks, leaped down from
a tree near him and went bounding after him. I
heard the cries of both till they appeared to be lost
in the distance, and then I hurriedly left the scene,
and fortunately made my way safely back to the
boats. I drew this rough sketch from memory, and
this is all I know of the affair.”
“A wonderful mystery!” returned Isaline, with a
shudder. “What can it be? Heavens! what a fate
for Hampton!”
From her words and manner, Henry was at a loss
to know in what degree of estimation his rival was
held by Isaline. Did she regret his absence as that
of an acquaintance, a friend, or a lover? or did she
regret his absence at all? He could not tell. Sometimes
he fancied one thing and sometimes another,
but the real truth was a secret of her own. At all
events, the field was now clear for him; and as he
had already begun to form a very ardent attachment
for her, he resolved to make the most of his present
opportunity.
Thus far, with the exception of the incidents we
have mentioned, nothing had occurred to break the
dull monotony of a slow passage down the river;
but toward the evening of that day, the boat was
hailed from the Ohio shore, by a man who seemed
-- 069 --
[figure description] Page 069.[end figure description]
to be in great distress, and who begged most piteously
to be taken aboard, declaring he had been a
prisoner among the Indians and had just made his
escape.
“That story's told so often that we haint got no
faith in't!” called out one of the men.
“Oh, for God's sake, don't leave me to die here!”
cried the man, holding out his hands imploringly.
“Can you swim?”
“No, I should drown.”
“Well, we shan't run our boats any nearer the
shore, for we're too old in the business to stick our
feet into Injun traps.”
“Oh, for God's sake, for mercy's sake, don't leave
me here to starve. or be caught by the savages
again!” pleaded the man.
We have already mentioned the manner in which
the Indians, by means of decoys, sometimes entrapped
the inexperienced and unwary to their
destruction, and this of course will explain what
might otherwise seem the cruel indifference of the
scouts to the apparent sufferings of a fellow being.
They were, in a general way, bold, brave men, who
would risk their lives, when necessary, where they
had faith in the justice and need of the noble deed;
and even now, with all their doubts upon them, it
was very trying to them to turn a deaf ear to prayers
so earnestly, and it might be truthfully, made; but
their resolution was taken, and all the piteous pleadings
of the man on the shore failed to shake it in
-- 070 --
[figure description] Page 070.[end figure description]
the least. Of course the sympathies of the women
were strongly enlisted in behalf of the apparent
sufferer, and they soon joined their prayers to his,
declaring it would be such a species of downright
cruelty to leave him there to perish that Heaven
would be certain to visit them with its displeasure.
“Whar's the use?” growled Tom. “Ef we
knowed the feller warn't lying, we'd fotch him off
in no time; but I haint the least incline to see you
all riddled with bullets, or hev some yelling red
devil slapping my own ha'r in my face.”
“Is it really true that we are going to leave that
poor fellow to perish there?” said Isaline to Henry,
with some warmth.
“It seems cruel. I admit; but it certainly would
not be prudent for us to risk one of these boats
ashore,” he replied.
“But there are smaller boats,” returned Isaline,
quickly; “and, among you all, I should think there
might be found one or two men brave enough to
make the venture alone!”
The color mounted to the temples of Henry, and
he replied, with a slight bow:
“At least, Miss Holcombe, your suggestion shall
not be lost one me!”
“Nay, I did not mean you, Mr. Colburn!” she
quickly cried, as he turned to leave her. “Stay!
you must not go yourself! but let some of the others
venture instead!”
“I would ask no man to risk his life and decline
-- 071 --
[figure description] Page 071.[end figure description]
to peril my own!” he answered, with a look of dignified
reproach.
“Return, then, I pray you, and do only what is
prudent!” said Isaline, turning somewhat pale.
“Do not act upon my words, which I now admit
were thoughtlessly spoken.”
“No,” said Henry, respectfully but firmly, “I
cannot change my purpose now, but shall make an
effort to save this man, let the consequences be what
they may!”
When they learned what he was about to do, the
companions of the young artist remonstrated with
him against his rash design—and Rough Tom even
called him a fool for thinking of such a thing—but
he calmly replied that there might be no danger
whatever, the man's story might be true, and at
least his conscience would not be easy until he
should have made an effort to save him.
“Well, at least you shan't go alone!” said Davis,
following him to a skiff which was fastened to the
stern of the larger boat.
“Nay,” said Henry, “there is no need of two to
do the work of one. If there is no danger, I can
readily bring off the man; and if there is danger, it
is folly to peril two lives!”
“That may be all very well for you to say,” rejoined
Davis; “but you see you can't have everything
your own way; and if you go, I'm agoing to
go with you!”
Henry made no further objection, and the two
-- 072 --
[figure description] Page 072.[end figure description]
were soon afloat in the skiff and striking off for the
Ohio shore.
“Oh, be careful of your lives!” called out Isaline,
in a voice that was tremulous with emotion. “Be
very, very cautions! and do not forget that yonder
is a dangerous shore, and that you may be advancing
upon a terrible ambuscade!”
She said lives, and apparently addressed them both;
but her thoughts dwelt on one, and she fairly groaned
in spirit at the reflection that it was her own words
which had prompted him to undertake what might
prove a fatal adventure.
“I will remember your instructions!” returned
Henry, lifting his hat and waving her an adieu.
As the little boat gradually increased the distance
between it and the larger one, and glided off lightly
toward the northern shore, every eye was fixed upon
it with that intensity of feeling which we never fail
to experience when we see a human being perilling
his life in the cause of humanity. There was a deep
and breathless silence, as if all were oppressed with
the dread and awe of the shadow of death. Nearer
and still nearer the little boat approached the shore,
where the solitary man was making frantic gestures
of hope and joy, and more intense became the feelings
of the spectators, some of whom unconsciously
clasped their hands and wrung them. Now the
stranger, apparently by the directions of those who
had gone to save him, went lower down the stream,
to a projecting point of land, and came out to the
-- 073 --
[figure description] Page 073.[end figure description]
end of it, that he might be reached without requiring
the skiff to venture too far in shore; but even there,
tall, overhanging trees and a dense thicket formed a
dark, heavy background, which might conceal a
treacherous foe, and the anxious watchers felt little
relief from the change of position.
Colburn and Davis themselves seemed far from
being satisfied that all was right—for, after drawing
near the point, they checked their advance, and
first turned up the stream and then down, and appeared
to reconnoitre the shore with great keenness
and care. Then they stopped and held a parley
with the stranger, the words of which could not be
distinguished by those on the larger boat. A minute
or two after, as if the colloquy had proved satisfactory
to the scouts, they were seen pulling up to the
bank, while the man was observed to advance to the
extreme verge of it, holding on by the overhanging
bushes, as if ready to leap or lower himself into the
skiff the instant the bow should come beneath him.
At this critical moment of intense expectation—
a moment that seemed so fraught with deliverance
or danger—several light puffs of smoke were seen
issuing from the thicket, the reports of several
muskets were heard blending into one heavy roar,
and both Colburn and Davis were observed to sink
down in their little craft, as if riddled with bullets.
At the same instant the stranger gave a shout of
triumph, and five or six painted savages burst into
view, uttering their appalling war-whoops!
-- 074 -- p473-079
CHAPTER VI. INTO THE WILDERNESS.
[figure description] Page 074.[end figure description]
“Oh, my God! my God!” cried Isaline, clasping
her hands and almost sinking into the arms of her
faithful Rhoda; “this is my doing—mine—and I
shall never forgive myself for my folly!”
“Dar, Miss Isa, chile—dar—you didn't do nuffin—
I's declar' to goodness you didn't!” exclaimed the
frightened mulatto, throwing her arms around her
mistress as if she would shield her from harm.
“Neber said a ting in de hull course ob your long
life, Miss Isa, dat any gemmen 'ud keer tree straws
about!” cried Priscilla, rolling her eyes and waddling
up to her mistress, and doubtless thinking she
was uttering some very consoling words.
“I knowed it!” cried Rough Tom, with a dozen
oaths, as he danced around like one insane; “I
knowed it 'ud come to this yere, or so'thing else,
when that Thing yelled in the forest! Poor Harry!
God bless him! The infarnal, finiky fool, to go,
arter I told him better! Whar's the use? Woofh!
Git out of my way! I'm gitting danngerous! Fotch
my rifle, somebody! I'll run the boat ashore, and
blow their cussed heads off! I'll eat em! I'll
-- 075 --
[figure description] Page 075.[end figure description]
swaller 'em whole, like snakes does tadpoles! Wagh!
wagh!”
“Look! they're not dead yit!” shouted one of the
men. “See! they've got the boat out from the shore,
whar the red-niggers can't reach it without jumping
into the water. Whoop! hurrah! thar they go—
both rifles together—and down comes two painted
devils, screeching like hounds!”
In fact it did appear, on second view, that matters
were not so bad with our friends as had been supposed.
If wounded, they certainly were not killed,
were still at liberty, and had been able to use their
own rifles with such effect as to place at least two of
their enemies hors de combat. A loud, wild cheer
was given them from the larger boats, and they were
now seen putting off on their return, with quick and
vigorous strokes of their oars. Several shots were
still fired at them from the thicket; but they
seemed to possess charmed lives, and in a few
minutes were back among their friends, who received
them with the wildest demonstrations of joy.
“How d'ye do it?” cried Tom, throwing his arms
around Henry and giving him a hug that would
have done justice to a respectable bear. “Lord love
ye, Harry, I seed 'em fire, and seed you drap, and
arter that I wouldn't a gin the wink of a blind nigger
for your chance of gitting off alive! and yit I
don't see as you've got ary scratch!”
“Heaven has been kind to me beyond my deserts,”
replied Henry, “in delivering me unharmed from
-- 076 --
[figure description] Page 076.[end figure description]
such perils; but my brave comrade here did not
meet with the same good fortune, for he has been
struck twice.”
“Just mere scratches!” replied Davis, as he
attempted to spring up from the smaller boat into
the larger one.
But though his words were lightly and cheerily
spoken, his face was very pale, and a minute after
he fell swooning into the arms of one of his comrades.
His wounds, though serious, were not necessarily
mortal; but he had lost much blood, and a
deathlike faintness followed close on his delivery.
“Oh, I am so thankful to God that you have returned
to us alive!” cried Isaline, as she hurriedly
advanced to Henry and grasped both his hands with
hers. “If you had fallen into the hands of the
savages, either living or dead, I should never have
forgiven myself for the words which excited you to
so rash an undertaking!”
“You were not to blame, Miss Isaline, in the
least!” answered Henry, with a flush of pride and
satisfaction. “I went because I felt it was my duty
to attempt the rescue of a fellow being whose tale
of suffering appeared to be true, and even now I
have only to regret the misfortune which befell my
brave companion.”
“It was a noble deed, and Heaven will bless you
for it!”
“It has already, Miss Isaline!” rejoined Henry,
in a low, earnest tone, gazing fondly into her lovely
-- 077 --
[figure description] Page 077.[end figure description]
face and sympathizing eyes; “Heaven has already
blessed me, in preserving my life and giving me the
kind approval of those I so highly esteem.”
Isaline did not reply to this, but her color deepened
and her eyes sought the ground. A brief silence
followed; and then she anxiously inquired if there
was not danger still from the Indians that had so
villainously unmasked themselves.
“I think not,” answered Henry, reflectively. “Unless
in a very large body and by surprise, they would
hardly venture to attack so many deadly rifles as
they must suppose us to possess; and now that they
know us to be on our guard, it is not likely they
will continue down the river, even in the hope of a
future opportunity. No, Miss Isaline, I think this
sudden exposure, with its consequences, is the best
thing for us that could have happened. I am glad
that your words prompted me to go to the rescue
of that pleading wretch, for by so doing I have
made my conscience easy, and it may be an over-ruling
Providence has used the act for the salvation
of us all.”
“Oh, what black-hearted wickedness there is in
the world!” said Isaline, thoughtfully. “It is bad
enough for savages, trained to blood and war from
infancy, to do the cruel deeds of the wilderness; but
what shall be said of the white villains who consort
with them and excite the holiest emotions of the
human heart merely to bring destruction upon fellow
beings of their own country and race? I had
-- 078 --
[figure description] Page 078.[end figure description]
heard of such things, it is true; but until I witnessed
such an act of fiendishness, I could not bring my
mind to realize it.”
“There is an old axiom which says, `The brighter
the angel when he falls, the blacker the demon he
becomes!' ” returned Henry; “and I know for a
truth there are white men among the Indians who
are even more cruel and blood-thirsty than the
natives of the forest! God keep us from falling
into such hands!”
Isaline shuddered at the thought.
“And yet,” she said, “we have a long stretch of
almost unsettled wilderness to pass through to reach
our destination.”
“But there will be many strong arms and vigilant
eyes to guard you from harm,” replied Henry.
“I know I shall be surrounded by brave hearts,”
said Isaline; “but for all that, after what I have
just seen, I confess I am becoming timid. Before I
set out, the journey presented to my careless mind
its bright romance and indistinct perils—but now it
oppresses me with a painful dread. Would to
Heaven it were over, and I were safe in the arms of
my father!”
“Do not be troubled, Miss Isaline! the danger, I
think, is nearly past!” returned Henry. “We shall
soon reach Limestone, now, and from there the inland
journey is little to be feared. Remember the Ohio
will roll between us and the homes of our savage
foes; and of late they seldom venture to cross into
-- 079 --
[figure description] Page 079.[end figure description]
Kentucky, where they have, from time to time, met
with so many serious reverses and sore defeats.”
“Well, I will hope for the best!” sighed Isaline;
“but you must promise me that Henry Colburn will
do no more rash deeds!”
“Your lightest wish shall be my law!” was the
gallant response of the young artist.
Meantime the three large boats, in close company,
were dropping steadily down with the current; and
though both shores were sharply and eagerly scanned
by the anxious voyagers, nothing more was discovered
of a threatening nature. So far as could
be seen, the Indians who had assailed our hero were
not disposed to come any nearer to the descending
boats; and it was generally believed they would
return to their villages, or wait where they were in
the hope of being more successful with the next
party of adventurers. Still there was nothing certain,
and the timid became more troubled and fearful,
and the bravest were disposed to be unusually
vigilant and cautious.
When the boats lay up that night, they anchored
well out in the stream, a double guard was set, the
skiffs were hauled aboard, and no one was allowed
to visit the shore. Nothing, however, occurred to
cause any disturbance, except that once, toward
morning, one or two of the scouts fancied they heard
a wild, distant shriek in the forest, similar to that
we have more than once described, the effect of
which was to unnerve them and depress their spirits
-- 080 --
[figure description] Page 080.[end figure description]
far more than the yells of a hundred savages would
have done.
In the afternoon of the following day the boats
reached Limestone, where passengers, goods and
horses were all disembarked, and preparations made
for the inland journey through a long stretch of
dangerous wilderness. They did not set out, though,
till the third morning after their arrival, and the
nights were passed within the strong walls of a
border block-house, or fort.
It was not the first time in her life that Isaline
had been so lodged. She had already become used
to rough scenes with rough companions, and, so that
she could experience a feeling of security, she was
disposed to accept the rest with that philosophy
which always seeks to find pleasure instead of
annoyance. She was one of those happy natures
who prefer the bright to the dark side of the picture—
and generally have it—for in truth more shadows
cover the realm of fancy than of reality. Her
spirits, so lately depressed, now rose to the height
of merriment, so that many were surprised at the
marked change that had so suddenly taken place.
She laughed at those who seemed vexed, and rallied
those who appeared gloomy, and did everything that
lay in her power to lighten the tedium of the heavy
hours. Some blamed and many praised her, and
Henry thought he never saw her appear more lovely
and interesting.
The third morning after the arrival of the
-- 081 --
[figure description] Page 081.[end figure description]
voyagers, the train started for the interior, the women
and children all being mounted, and the rest of the
horses being loaded with goods, tents, clothing, cooking
utensils, provisions, and other portable things.
Of the whole number who had come down the
Ohio, Davis was the only one left behind at the fort.
His wounds were doing well, and promised speedy
recovery; but he was not in a condition to pursue
the tedious journey through the wilderness, and so
was put under charge of the medical man of the
post.
The scouts acted in their regular capacity—all
of them by turns pushing on in advance, scouring
the country round about, hunting for Indian sign,
and killing such game as fortune threw in their
way. At night they joined the train, and, assisted
by some of the others, kept guard over the camp.
The weather, which had promised a cool rain,
was now again clear and warm, and as yet not a
single frost had begun to change the bright green
of the forest to the variegated hues which render it
so attractive to the lovers of the picturesque and
beautiful.
Only some six or eight miles were made the first
day, and, with the sun still above the horizon, the
camping-ground was selected at a pleasant spot near
a running stream. Here the horses were unloaded
and turned out to graze, the tents pitched, and the
suppers of the different messes cooked and eaten
before the advancing night had fairly closed around
-- 082 --
[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]
the scene. All so far was well; and though there
was many a palpitating heart among the number
that soon after lay down to repose, all continued
well till morning again showed them a day so lovely
as to make their souls swell with prayers of thanksgiving.
The second day and night, like the first, passed off
without anything to excite alarm; and as the journey
thus far had proved less gloomy and disagreeable
than had been anticipated, the spirits of the most
timid began to grow buoyant. A few days more of
continued prosperity would see them safely among
their friends, where they fancied there would be
little to fear from the hostile tribes of the North.
Though Henry had joined the scouts and acted
with them in perfect harmony, he had never at any
time considered himself bound to continue in their
company, or in the capacity assumed, one moment
longer than might suit his inclination; his birth and
education had placed him in the social scale far
above them, and he knew he could take another
position whenever he should choose; but while he
was with them, he felt it to be his duty to perform
his part with the rest; and therefore, on the present
journey, though it would have given him more
pleasure to have remained by the side of Isaline, as
a friend and fellow traveller, he neglected no task
that the others performed, and was sometimes in the
advance and sometimes in the rear, sometimes hunting
and sometimes standing guard. A horse was at
-- 083 --
[figure description] Page 083.[end figure description]
his disposal whenever he wished to ride; but thus
far he had only mounted him once, and then only
for a few minutes, and his whole conversation with
Isaline had amounted only to general salutations
and passing civilities.
In the afternoon of the third day, however, finding
that everything was going well, and that a few
hours leisure for himself would impose no extra
labor upon any of the rest, Henry mounted his
horse, resolved upon having some pleasant recreation.
Riding up to the side of the fair maiden, who had
of late occupied so much of his thoughts, he said, in
a light, gay tone:
“There, Miss Isaline, congratulate me that at last
I am blessed with time enough to draw a long
breath and inquire after the health and comfort of
the lady it is both my duty and pleasure to serve.”
“Is it possible,” cried Isaline, in well-affected surprise,
“that you really have time to ask the question
and wait for an answer?”
“In truth I believe it is even so,” laughed Henry.
“And are you not afraid your master will discharge
you for some neglect of duty?” pursued the
other, with a serio-comic air. Really, it appears
to me that for a young man of your bringing up
you are taking unheard-of liberties, and it would
pain me very much to see you sent back in disgrace!”
“It certainly is a pleasure to me to know you
take such a deep interest in my welfare!” laughed
-- 084 --
[figure description] Page 084.[end figure description]
the young artist. “But jesting aside—how are you
pleased with your journey thus far, Miss Isaline?”
“Oh, delighted, of course, that I am not talked to
death, can get my breath in spite of the heat, and
still have my head on my own shoulders!”
“And the last is always something to be thankful
for in the wilderness,” returned Henry. “So far
everything has gone well, thank God!” he seriously
added; “and once on the other side of the Licking,
which we are now approaching, I shall feel we are
beginning to be pretty safe. Yonder line of hills,
which you can now and then catch a glimpse of
through the trees, marks the course of one of the
most romantic streams of this romantic region—a
stream that flows in deep, dark solitude, beneath
green and flowery bowers that nature has well fitted
for the sylvan retreats of the Indians' Paradise. I
once spent a week in roaming up and down its delightful
banks, and now and then sketching a scene
of quiet beauty or rugged grandeur; and though no
mortal was with me, I never felt less alone, for I
fancied that legions of spirits of Indian maids and
lovers were hovering around the enchanting place!”
“Did you fancy them armed with tomahawks and
scalping knives?” laughed Isaline. “But pardon
me! I am wrong to jest on so grave a subject!” she
soberly added, with a mischievous look. “Unquestionably
you had a very delightful time; and I shall
only be too happy to learn you escaped as sound in
heart as body, and that the love-shafts of the spirit
-- 085 --
[figure description] Page 085.[end figure description]
Indian maids passed as clear of their mark as the
more tangible bullets of their mortal brothers!”
“I believe I left the romantic region entirely
heart-whole,” rejoined Henry, looking straight into
the bright, merry eyes of his fair companion; “but
whether I shall return to it in the same condition is
something more questionable.”
A very slight flush suddenly tinged the cheek of
the young lady, and she instantly became deeply interested
in looking at something on the other side
of her horse.
“By-the-by,” she said, “I dreamt of Hampton,
last night.”
It was Henry's turn to color, now; but he rejoined,
in a light, easy tone, though it possibly cost him an
effort:
“Nothing seems more natural, Miss Holcombe,
than that we should dream of those who are deep in
our regard.”
“True!” returned Isaline, thoughtfully, as if the
idea his words conveyed was in her case an accepted
fact. “I wonder what can have become of
him?”
“Perhaps he is somewhere in the forest, practicing
with the rifle!” answered Henry, with a slight curl
of the lip and sharp compression of the teeth. “If
he had been a little better marksman, he might have
been here now instead of me!”
“And that Creature that followed him,” said
-- 086 --
[figure description] Page 086.[end figure description]
Isaline, as if pursuing her first train of thought, “what
could it have been?”
Henry looked at her, but did not reply to the question.
“Was your dream a pleasant one?” he asked.
“More ridiculous and horrible than pleasant,” she
answered. “I thought we were all flying through
the air together—the Phantom, with face and body
like a woman, and wings like a bat, spiriting us
away to some dark, unknown region, which at last
we reached, and where the only sounds were groans,
shrieks, and hideous laughter!”
“Whom do you mean by we?” inquired Henry.
“Why, you and I, Hampton, a band of murderous
savages, and the Witch Phantom!”
“A select company!” laughed Henry.
“So I thought!” returned Isaline, with an arch
smile; “but what is more natural than that we should
dream of those who are deep in our regard!”
“Go on with the dream!” said Henry, with a slight
flush.
“That was all. I woke up, with old Priscilla
shaking me for breakfast, and heard some of the
men laughing, and others shouting and swearing at
the horses. But what is that yonder?” queried
Isaline, pointing to a large green mound, that could
be seen through the trees a short distance away to
the right.
“The sepulchre of some portion of a race that
has gone from this world forever!” replied Henry.
-- 087 --
[figure description] Page 087.[end figure description]
“In this broad region, called the Great West, there
are numbers of these landmarks of a people of which
none now living have any record. They came and
they passed away; and these mounds of earth, filled
with human bones and a few rude implements of
stone and clay, are all that is left to tell that they
once lived, moved, thought, reasoned, felt, suffered,
and died!”
“And has the present race of Indians no knowledge
of them? no traditions concerning them?”
inquired Isaline, with awakened curiosity.
“None, I believe—at least so I have understood.”
“I should like to visit this mound.”
“Nothing is easier. You have only to ride down
through the open wood here, and I shall be happy
to accompany you.”
Turning to her servants, who were only a few
paces behind, Isaline bade them keep along with the
train; and merely adding that she would rejoin them
shortly, she gave her high-spirited palfrey a light
touch with her riding whip, and set off at a brisk
canter through the wood—Henry instantly following
and speedily overtaking her.
“Whar's she agwine to?” asked old Priscilla, who
was mounted behind her companion Rhoda, on a
strong, good-natured, sluggish horse, that could
scarcely be whipped out of a walk.
“How d'ye 'spect I knows?” answered Rhoda,
with the petulance of a spoiled child. “Ise doesn't
know ebery ting about missuses doings!”
-- 088 --
[figure description] Page 088.[end figure description]
“Dat dar's cl'ar enough—Ise knows you doesn't—
but you allers talk as ef you did!” grumbled the old
nurse. “Ise does wonder whar she's agwine! Ise
hopes dat young buck won't run off wid her; but
she leans up to him purty sharp, I reckons. Dar
was one time Ise thunk Marsa Hampton had 'em
all fixed; but sence he's done gone to de Debil of de
Forest, Marsa Colbrum 'pears to hev it all cl'ar
wedder. A-a-ah! Ise hopes de Forest Debil won't
git 'em bofh! but Ise got out my skeers on't, I has!”
“You has your skeers out on eberyting!” pouted
Rhoda, with a fierce jerk of the bridle rein.
“And doesn't 'em come true, chile?” exclaimed
Priscilla, rolling her eyes with an air of triumph;
“answer me dat, chile! Didn't Ise hev out my
skeers on Marsa Reginald? and didn't him git done
gone shot in de battle of Branderwine? And didn't
Ise hev out my skeers on Miss Libzabeth? and didn't
shes go dead in no time? Go 'way, chile! you's
young and simple, and doesn't know no'ting!”
“Well,” returned Rhoda, angrily, “Ise says dis
much—dat ef you gits out your skeers on Miss Isa,
and she goes dead, or any of dem tings, I'll wrung
your neck like you does chickens!”
“Ise doesn't keer for dat!” persisted the old nurse,
with a solemn shake of her head. “Ise got out my
skeers on dem two young peoples, and you'll see
someting orful—dar now!”
-- 089 -- p473-094
CHAPTER VII. TURNING ASIDE.
[figure description] Page 089.[end figure description]
At the moment when Henry and Isaline turned
aside to visit the Indian mound, the train, of which
they formed a part, was slowly, carelessly, and irregularly
pursuing its way over the then beaten route
between Limestone and Lexington. It was passing
through an open, nearly level wood, within sight of
the romantic hills of the Licking, and was stretched
out, in a straggling manner from front to rear, to a
length of nearly half a mile. Though in the latter
part of the month of September, the day was extremely
warm and sultry, and every one, beast as
well as rider, seemed disposed to take matters as
easy as possible. The horses which carried burdens
moved slowly, with heads down, whisking their tails,
and occasionally stopping and turning to snap at
flies; their drivers sauntered along in a lazy, indifferent
manner, now and then with a chirrup, an oath,
or a crack of the whip, seemingly more from habit
and to keep awake than for any other reason; the
scouts plodded forward, with their rifles swung over
their shoulders and their eyes on the ground, evidently
thinking of anything rather than wild game
or savage foes; and the mounted females and
-- 090 --
[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]
children jogged on, singly or in pairs, each looking
heated and wearied, and as if it would be too great
a task to hold a conversation with anybody. When
our young lady and gentleman so suddenly turned
aside and dashed away in company, it did excite
some little surprise in those nearest to them, and
some two or three of the more energetic ventured
to ask what it meant; but as no one assumed the
responsibility of giving an answer, and as they were
too far from Isaline's servants to understand the sage
remarks of the latter, the matter appeared to be
dropped as one which would require too much
trouble to investigate.
Meantime Henry and Isaline, with more life and
spirit than all the rest put together, were speeding
away toward one of the curiosities of the wilderness,
and it was evident that from some cause they
felt little of heat or fatigue.
A quarter of a mile brought them to a pretty little
brook, which ran along the base of a bank of earth,
some five or six feet high, that had apparently been
thrown up with a shovel, and formed one side of a
parallelogram of two hundred yards by one hundred
and fifty, with an opening of six feet wide at each
of the four corners or angles, the whole resembling
an earthwork or fortification of modern times.
Within this inclosure, at short, equal distances from
each embankment, rose an oblong mound, to the
height of fifty feet, with a regular rounding off of
the sides and apex, as though it had been constructed
-- 091 --
[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]
in the best style of a genuine art. Upon the summit
of this mound were some half a dozen large trees,
which had grown there since its erection, and the
whole was covered with a thick, rich greensward,
interspersed with wild flowers of various bright hues,
presenting an appearance of striking novelty and
beauty. Riding into the inclosure through one of
the openings, our friends galloped entirely around
the interior, but found the main acclivity too steep
on all sides for an ascent on horseback.
“It is a beautiful curiosity, to be here in the wilderness,”
said Isaline, “and I should so like to go to
the top of it!”
“We can easily do so by dismounting, I think!”
returned Henry.
“But our horses?”
“Tie the bridle-reins around their necks and let
them graze here—my word for it they will not attempt
to run away.”
“If you are certain of that,” rejoined Isaline, “we
will do so—or,” she added, “we can hitch them outside.”
“They will remain quietly enough here; have no
fear!” said Henry, dismounting as he spoke and assisting
his companion to do the same.
The horses seemed eager for the rank grass, and,
leaving them to feed, their riders began to climb the
steep little hill before them. It was not easy to ascend,
even on foot—for the sides had an angle of
inclination like an old-fashioned house-roof—but
-- 092 --
[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]
by taking hold of the grass, to keep from slipping
backward, Henry and Isaline soon managed to reach
the top, from which they had a fine view of the
country round about.
The scene was a pleasant one, but requires no
more than a general description. In the direction
from which they had approached the place, or looking
eastward, was a level, nearly open wood, among
the grand old trees of which they could catch
glimpses of the train they had left; further on to
the right, or southward, was a small ridge, beyond
which the ground descended to a swampy level,
covered with a thick canebrake; beyond that was
another ridge; and then the eyes rested upon the
hills of the Licking, some five or six miles away,
but coming up with a broad bend to within half that
distance westward, and then falling back till lost in
the dim blue of the northwestern horizon. Directly
northward the ground was rough, rocky, and bushy;
and between the artificial mound and the nearest
hill of the Licking range, was a thick wood, a
dense thicket, a rocky ridge, a canebrake, and a
grassy opening—so diversified was the face of the
country. The sun was some two hours past meridian,
but his rays were beating down with great
heat; and looming up above the western horizon
were some half-a-dozen ominous-looking cloud-heads,
as if they might be angry heralds of an approaching
storm.
“And where do we cross the Licking?” inquired
-- 093 --
[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]
Isaline, after having looked around her with a flush
of delight.
“Yonder,” replied Henry, pointing in a southwesterly
direction, “where you see that opening between
the hills. The great buffalo trace we have
been following leads thither, and there, near the
Blue Licks, is the ford.”
“Oh, yes, the Blue Licks—I have heard my father
speak of that place. If I remember rightly, a great
battle was fought there between the Kentuckians
and Indians!”
“Yes,” replied Henry, “a terribly disastrous battle
for the borderers—one that nearly cost them the
possession of the country! Through their own
want of caution and the cunning of the savages,
they were drawn into a horrible ambuscade, and the
deeds of that day shrouded the whole fair land in
mourning!”
“I should so like to see the battle-ground!” said
Isaline.
“Should everything be favorable when we reach
there, I will show it to you.”
“You do not apprehend any danger?” returned
Isaline, looking at her companion searchingly.
“At least I hope for no trouble, either there or
elsewhere,” he answered; “but it is a place I never
approach without a feeling of dread—for there, at
different times, the Indians have ambushed the
whites and committed some fearful deeds.”
“Then why pass there now?”
-- 094 --
[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]
“It is the only travelled road through this section
of the country, and has a good ford, except when
the river is raised by the spring and fall floods.”
“Why do you call our route the buffalo trace?”
“Because in times past the buffalo and other
animals, which roamed the wilderness here and
northward, came down yonder to lick the saline
earth and rocks, and on going and returning they
passed over and formed the beaten track we have
been pursuing. The springs, at what are called the
Licks, are strongly impregnated with salt; and this
even now draws from different quarters the beasts
of the wilderness; so that these Licks are still fine
places for the hunter, who, by concealing himself in
some neighboring thicket, can always supply himself
with game.”
“And so the builders of this mound are not known
even in tradition?” said Isaline, abruptly changing
the subject and whisking the ground with her riding
switch.
“So far as I can understand, not even our present
race of Indians knows anything of them,” replied
Henry.
“I wonder if they were as savage as their immediate
successors! Did I understand you to call this
mound a sepulchre?”
“Yes, for the ground contains a great many
human bones; and also implements of stone, such
as hatchets, knives, spear-heads, mortars, kettles, and
so forth. I have never dug here, but I have in
-- 095 --
[figure description] Page 095.[end figure description]
other mounds like it, and which appear to be scattered
all over this western country, and I doubt not
the same articles would be found here. I have
sometimes thought these hills might have been
thrown up for the burial of the chiefs and their
families, and that these household things, along with
the weapons of war and the chase, might have been
put in their graves, under the superstitious belief
that they would be needed in the other world—for
it is a singular fact, that all nations, peoples and
tongues, no matter how rude and low in the human
scale, have some kind of faith in the immortality of
the soul, or future existence of man.”
“I have often thought of that,” returned Isaline,
“as one of the strongest evidences we have of the
reality of a life beyond the grave—for to the barbarous
heathen the belief must come rather through
instinct than reason—and we know that in the life
around us instinct seldom if ever errs. I should
like exceedingly to get hold of some one of these
relics, as a memento of this visit!”
“If I had a spade with me, it might be the work
of only a few minutes,” answered Henry; “and even
as it is, I think with the use of my knife I can soon
get hold of something.”
“Perhaps it would delay us too long, and our
friends get too far ahead of us!”
“Oh, we could easily overtake them, were they
even to have a two hours' start!” said Henry,
-- 096 --
[figure description] Page 096.[end figure description]
glancing at the wood through which the train appeared
to be moving at a snail-like pace.
“But they may think strange of our absence, and
some of the scouts come off to seek us!” suggested
Isaline.
“They would hardly do that unless we were to be
absent till after dark,” returned Henry, “and we will
overtake them long before then, to say the worst.
But come and sit down, Miss Isaline, on the grass
here, in the shade of this tree, while I make a little
exploration of the mound!” he added, pointing her
to a very comfortable seat.
“I will take the shade of the tree, but prefer
standing to sitting,” answered the young lady, as
she moved forward to the place indicated.
“Sometimes,” pursued Henry, “there are marks
about these mounds which show us how to arrive
soonest at the treasures we seek, and I will endeavor
to find one of these.”
He forthwith began his search. Going down the
northern side, looking carefully at every step, he at
length exclaimed:
“I think I have found one of the places—a small,
flat stone, buried under the grass, and nearly concealed
by the earth itself. Remain up there in the
shade, Miss Isaline, have patience for a few minutes,
and I will tell you more.”
He took out his knife, got down on his knees, and
began to clear the dirt off from the stone. This
done, he tried to raise it, but found he could not
-- 097 --
[figure description] Page 097.[end figure description]
stir it. It was a reddish sandstone, about two feet
square, and was covered with hieroglyphics. He
again spoke to Isaline, told her of his discovery, and
she went down to look at it.
“If we could get it up,” he said, “I doubt not we
should find something beneath that would prove
interesting. If I had a spade, I would soon have it
out, but a hunting-knife is a slow tool to dig with.”
“Nay, then, let it go,” returned Isaline; “at best it
would only be gratifying a whimsical fancy, and I
do not want you to lose any more time here.”
“Pardon me, Miss Isaline!” he said, looking up
into her bright, sweet face, with a pleasant smile; “I
can never think any time lost that I may employ in
serving you!”
“You are very kind,” she replied, with a rosy
flush that increased her beauty; “but I fear we are
remaining here too long! We must not forget that
we are in a lonely wilderness, filled with prowling
wild beasts and savage men, and I see you have not
even brought your rifle with you!”
“True,” he said, “when I mounted my horse, I
gave it to one of the blacks to carry for me; but then
I really do not believe there is any danger here!”
“Perhaps not; but we are certainly in an exposed
situation, and I confess I am beginning to feel a little
uneasy. Although we can hear our friends, they
are already out of sight; and if anything were to
happen, we might not be able to rejoin them, or get
them to our assistance in time to serve us, if at all!”
-- 098 --
[figure description] Page 098.[end figure description]
“Do not be alarmed, Miss Isaline, for there is
really nothing to fear!” said Henry. “All around
us the country has been well scoured by the scouts,
and not a single Indian sign has been discovered
since we landed in Kentucky, and there are no wild
beasts in this region that would venture to attack us
by daylight. True, I have had some little dread of
the ford near the Licks; but we shall not approach
that alone, and my companions will look well to
the country in that vicinity, you may depend!”
“Well, suppose we rejoin them at once!”
“Give me a few minutes more, Miss Isaline, and I
think I can get this stone out. I will work fast, and
I confess I am myself not a little curious to see what
is underneath it.”
As Isaline made no further objections, though
she glanced around her with a greater feeling of
uneasiness than she would have cared to express,
Henry began to dig away the earth from around the
stone with his knife and hands. He worked hard
and fast, but his progress did not keep pace with his
expectation and desire. Five, ten, fifteen minutes
slipped away; and though he had by that time
cleared the dirt away from the sides of the stone to
the depth of several inches, yet he had not come to
the bottom of it and could not move it. He was
still at work, and his fair companion was glancing
around her with an increased feeling of uneasiness
that amounted to something like fear, when suddenly
both were startled by the sullen boom of distant
thunder.
-- 099 --
[figure description] Page 099.[end figure description]
“Ah!” exclaimed Isaline, turning deadly pale and
trembling in every limb.
“Good Heaven! what is the matter?” cried Henry,
catching the painful expression of her features and
noting her nervous agitation.
“It often affects me thus when it takes me so
much by surprise,” she answered, in a low, faint
tone, as she seated herself on the ground, apparently
too weak to stand. “Oh that we had not come here
at all!”
“We can easily rejoin our friends before the
shower can catch us, if that will make matters any
better!” he replied. “I did not think of this! One
moment, till I get a look at it!”
As he spoke there came another boom, and on
the heels of it a third, with a longer and heavier
rumble. Isaline covered her face with her hands,
and uttered a low, startled moan, which Henry did
not hear, for he was in the act of darting around
the hill to get a view of the approaching storm, his
late position having been about half-way between
the bottom and top of the mound and too much on
the eastern side to permit of his seeing the western
horizon.
A great change had taken place since he had last
looked in this direction. Half way up to the zenith,
a black, rolling, angry cloud was now stretched, from
which darted vivid chains of lightning; and the low,
sullen rumble of the distant thunder rapidly increased
in volume, and soon became an almost
-- 100 --
[figure description] Page 100.[end figure description]
continuous roar, with now and then a jarring boom.
The whirling of the clouds indicated a good deal of
wind, and the advance of the storm was so swift,
that even while he was calculating the time it would
take for it to reach the place where he stood, he
beheld the dark vapors shoot athwart the bright face
of the sun, casting a gloomy shadow over the whole
scene.
For himself Henry feared nothing; to him this
war of the elements was a sublime beauty and fascination;
and had he been alone, he would have remained
and gazed at the storm with a kind of poetical
rapture; but he remembered his fair companion,
now made timid even to terror through some unexplainable
action of the electrical forces upon her
nervous organization, and he hastened back to her
side. He found her sitting as we have described,
with her face buried in her hands, rocking herself
to and fro and moaning.
“The storm is nearer than I thought, Miss Isaline,”
he said, with hurried anxiety, “and unless we set
out immediately, I fear it will reach us before we
can possibly rejoin our companions.”
“Quick, then! let us go at once!” cried Isaline,
starting to her feet and finding herself so weak as
to require his support to keep her from staggering,
if not falling. “You think me a foolish coward, I
know,” she added, as she hurried down toward the
horses, “but I cannot help my feelings. A thunderstorm
has always had this effect upon me since I can
-- 101 --
[figure description] Page 101.[end figure description]
remember; and though I have often tried to reason
myself out of my terrors, I have never succeeded
in doing so.”
“Fear not that I shall think the less of you for
what you cannot avoid!” returned Henry. “We
have no more command over our feelings than our
faith.”
“Ha! what a sharp flash!” cried Isaline, covering
her eyes, as a bright bolt shot from heaven to earth,
and was shortly followed by a bursting roar.
As our two friends neared the horses, which had
all this time been as quietly feeding as if nature
were at holy peace around them, there suddenly
rung out upon the murky air another sound more
appalling than the loudest crash of thunder! It was
the wild, fierce scream of the panther, or cougar!
and the terrible animal was seen leaping from a tree
to the ground, just outside of the inclosure. This
even made Henry start, as well as his companion,
with a thrill akin to fear, and instinctively his hand
clutched the haft of his knife, the only weapon he
now had with him. The horses too at the same
instant threw up their heads and glared around
them, with snorts of terror; and then, before Henry,
who abruptly left his companion and darted forward
for the purpose, could reach and grasp their bridles,
they threw out their heels wildly and dashed away
like the wind.
“God help us!” murmured Isaline, clasping her
hands, with a feeling and look of absolute despair.
-- 102 -- p473-107
CHAPTER VIII. THE TEMPEST.
[figure description] Page 102.[end figure description]
For a few moments Henry stood as one petrified.
Accustomed as he was to act instantaneously in
critical cases, he now halted in a state of uncertainty,
if not bewilderment. His first impulse was
to spring after the horses, in the hope that they might
not run far; but in the same moment he bethought
him that he would thus be leaving Isaline all alone,
and the idea was abandoned at once. Hastening
back to her side, he threw his arm around her slender,
trembling form, and, in a low, tender tone, for
the first time since their acquaintance dropping all
formality, he said:
“Isaline, do not be alarmed! the danger is not so
great as it seems.”
She leaned heavily against him, as if mutely asking
protection; and there, alone in the wilderness,
almost defenceless, he experienced a thrill of happiness
he had never felt before.
“Do not be alarmed, Isaline!” he repeated, in a
tender, soothing tone; “the storm is all that we have
to dread, and that is in the hands of God, and will
not destroy us!”
With the last words came a blinding flash of
-- 103 --
[figure description] Page 103.[end figure description]
lightning, quickly followed by a crash of thunder
and a few heavy, pattering drops of rain.
“Oh, Henry!” responded the trembling girl, in a
tone of helpless terror, and leaning more heavily
against him, as though too weak and faint to support
her own fragile form.
The storm had been unusually rapid in its advance.
From the moment when our friends had been warned
by the first low, distant boom of thunder to the
present time, only a few minutes had elapsed; and
since then the bright sun had been darkened, the
blue heavens above them had been covered by a
black pall, the forked lightnings had played about
them, crashing thunders had almost stunned them,
big drops of rain had begun to descend, and now
was heard that sullen, ominous, awful roar, which
proclaims the near approach of a terrific tempest or
tornado.
“If we could only find some place of shelter!”
said Henry, with a quick, anxious glance around
him.
“There is no time!” gasped Isaline; “the tempest
is upon us. Heaven of mercy! look yonder!”
There was no time indeed, and the last exclamation
was drawn from her by the awful appearance
of the atmosphere above her. It was dark with
millions of leaves, which were whirling over and
around and rushing forward with a terrific, roaring
velocity. These were controlled by a current of
wind near the black clouds, which were also rolling,
-- 104 --
[figure description] Page 104.[end figure description]
twisting and writhing in a most frightful manner.
As yet the air near the earth was still and calm; but
it was of that stillness and that calmness which made
it dreadful to expectation. In the worst we know
the worst, and battle with it with every faculty of
mind and body, buoying our spirits up with action,
fearing nothing more and hoping something better;
but in the waiting for uncertain evil, the imagination
is filled with horrors that unnerve and paralyze
us, because we cannot grapple with them. The expectation
in this case was soon a terrible reality.
The current of air that swept and roared through
the heavens, was quickly followed by one that tore
along the earth, destroying nearly everything in its
path. It seized the trees of the forest, great and
small, bent them like reeds, snapped them asunder,
tore them up by their roots, whirled them round
like straws, and strewed and piled them together in
a long, wild, tangled mass of ruin. It struck the
top of the mound and hurled everything downward
except the earth itself, and even that trembled.
Fortunately our friends were at its eastern base,
where the wind could not reach them in its wildest
fury, or they might never have outlived it; and
even as it was it almost lifted them from their feet
and drove them against the embankment, where they
turned their faces to the earth, breathed with difficulty,
silently prayed, and every moment looked for
death. Meantime the shrieking, howling, and roaring
of the tempest were awful beyond description;
-- 105 --
[figure description] Page 105.[end figure description]
the air was black with flying leaves, branches, and
timbers; there was a ghastly, lurid glow throughout
the gloom; dazzling chains of forked lightning
struck downward and outward in every direction;
the crashing of the thunder seemed like the dashing
together of the worlds of the universe, and the
driving rain fell in such torrents as if the windows
of heaven had indeed been opened. Its wildest fury
lasted for half an hour, and then its work of destruction
was done in that locality, and it went howling,
roaring and rumbling away to the eastward.
When at last Henry and Isaline found themselves
in a condition to look about them, they were indeed
in a pitiable plight. There was not a dry thread
upon them. The rain too was still descending in
torrents—for though the tornado was past, black,
humid clouds remained, that literally poured their
watery contents upon the earth, as if to complete
the work of destruction with a deluge. Nor was
this all. The little stream, mentioned as flowing
along the base of the eastern embankment, had
already swollen to the size of a small river, had
overleaped its own natural banks, and was splashing
its waters into the inclosure, through the opening of
the nearest angle, to a depth of several inches, with
the flood still rising, and other smaller streams rushing,
leaping, and roaring down the centre mound to
swell it still higher.
“Thank God,” said Henry, “our lives have been
preserved through this awful tempest, the like of
-- 106 --
[figure description] Page 106.[end figure description]
which I never saw before! But see, Isaline—dear
Isaline, may I not call you? for, after sharing this
dreadful peril with you, you have become dearer to
me than any other being in the wide wide world,—
see! the flood is rising around us, and we must
change our place for safety. Have you strength
enough left to attempt the ascent of the mound
again?”
“Yes, Henry,” replied Isaline, looking up with a
face into which the color was beginning to return,
“I am stronger than I was—much stronger. It
was the lightning which affected me so—it always
did—but wherefore I cannot say. Other dangers
may alarm me as much, but nothing else so utterly
weakens and prostrates me. Oh, Heaven, what a
tempest! what a tempest! It seems almost a miracle
that we have both lived through it! But the
danger is not yet past! How shall we ever get back
to our companions?”
“Do not fear, dear Isaline! there will be a way, I
trust!” said Henry, soothingly. “Come, let me assist
you up the hill again, where I fancy we shall
be safer for the present, and where at least we can
get a clearer view of the scene of desolation.”
She gave him her hand, and they walked through
the water that already covered the space between
the embankment and mound; but when they began
the ascent of the steep and slippery acclivity, she
required the support of his arm, and it was only
-- 107 --
[figure description] Page 107.[end figure description]
after much labor, difficulty and delay that they
were able to reach the summit at all.
Truly a wild scene of destruction here met their
view. The sweep of the tornado, from north to
south, had been something like half a mile wide,
reaching out about equally on either side of the
mound, so that the spot where our friends now stood
had been, so to speak, the very centre of its fury.
It had moved from west to east in an almost direct
line, and had either uprooted or blown down the
trees of the forest, strewing and leaving them on its
terrible path in every conceivable position, so that
in general appearance its destructive work was not
unlike a mower's careless swath through a field of
grain. Scarcely a tree had been left standing; and
that anything having life, and most of all human
life, should have been preserved in the midst of its
fury, was certainly little short of a miracle. Had
Henry succeeded in catching the horses and mounting
himself and companion, it is more than probable
their lives would have been destroyed, as they
would have taken just the course to have been
caught by the tornado in the forest, and this they
now comprehended with such feelings of gratitude
for their preservation as belonged to their noble
natures.
“It is often thus,” said Henry, solemnly, “that
Providence saves us in spite of ourselves; and in
the mysterious workings of Heaven we sometimes
find good springing out of what we had thought to
-- 108 --
[figure description] Page 108.[end figure description]
be evil. We grieved at what we supposed to be a
calamity when our horses ran away from us, and
now we find that very event to have been our salvation.”
“It is truly so,” replied Isaline, “and I am very`
very thankful to God for our wonderful preservation!
But what of our companions, Henry? Do you
think they have been fortunate enough to have escaped
also?”
“I hope so, Isaline, and I may say I believe so,
for they were moving in a southerly direction, and
must, I think, have got beyond the fierce track of
the tempest.”
“And will there be any way for us to rejoin
them?” inquired Isaline, with an expression of painful
anxiety.
“Undoubtedly!” answered the young artist, more
hopeful in the word than the thought; for the rain
was still coming down in torrents, every little brook
was already swelled to a river, and in every direction,
as far as the eye could reach, the level ground
appeared to be nearly buried under water, which
was pouring down from every hill in rushing
streams.
“O-oh!” shuddered Isaline; “I am growing cold.”
“Ah, that is what we have to fear!” said Henry,
in some alarm. “I am afraid you are taking cold,
for you are soaked through and through, and the
temperature has fallen several degrees. Oh that we
had some place of shelter where I could strike a
-- 109 --
[figure description] Page 109.[end figure description]
fire! Here, perhaps this may be of some little service
to you!” and he took off his hunting-frock and
wrapped it around her shoulders.
“No, no,” said Isaline, endeavoring to throw it
off, “I will not be so selfish as to rob you!”
“Oh, I do not mind it in the least,” he said; “I
am used to all kinds of exposure, but you are not.
Nay, dear Isaline, I insist that you wear it!” he
added, using a little playful force to keep it round
her shoulders. “Ah, do wear it, now, to please me!
will you not?”
“But you will suffer from the exposure!”
“No, I promise you I will be very good and do
nothing of the kind!” returned Henry, demurely.
The oddity of the reply and the look that accompanied
it, drew a smile from Isaline, and she made
no further resistance or objection.
“What a dreary prospect!” she said, surveying
the dismal scene before her; “how shall we ever get
away from here?”
“It will not rain always,” returned Henry; “even
in Noah's time it stopped after forty days and nights;
and I feel almost certain this deluge will not last
half as long as that one did!”
“It is a great blessing to be light hearted!” smiled
Isaline. “Ah, our poor horses! what has become
of them? I fear we shall never see them again!”
“Unless destroyed by the tornado, I think they
will be found, but not soon enough perhaps to serve
our present need,” returned Henry. “I am sorry
-- 110 --
[figure description] Page 110.[end figure description]
to say, Isaline, I see no way of rejoining our companions
except on foot, and I am much afraid you
will not be equal to the task!”
“Oh, yes, it will not hurt me to walk, I am sure;
and even if our horses were here, we could not ride
through this mass of fallen timbers. Come, let us
set off at once! I am anxious to show you what I
can do—what a little heroine I can be!”
“We shall have to wade through the water in
many places.”
“Which will hardly wet us now,” smiled Isaline.
“I am ready for the trial; and since we have escaped
such terrible perils, I shall look upon the obstacles
in our way as comparative trifles.”
Henry took one more survey of the dreary scene,
and suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the northward:
“Ha! look yonder, Isaline! by that large rock
near the base of that rocky ridge!”
“Oh, yes, I see! I see!” cried Isaline, clapping
her hands with delight; “our horses! our horses!
Heaven be praised, they have not been killed!”
“They must have run fast, and just barely escaped
the track of the tornado!” said Henry.
“Can we not get to them?”
“I think so, Isaline—though there appears to be
a swampy level on the direct line, covered with
water; but, as far as I can judge, looking at it from
here, we can go around it to the westward, and strike
the ridge about a quarter of a mile beyond them.”
-- 111 --
[figure description] Page 111.[end figure description]
“But then, after reaching them, how shall we get
them across this wide mass of fallen timbers?”
“Ah, that is where the trouble will be!”
“At all events, Henry, let us make the trial!”
“Will you go, or remain here, Isaline?”
“Oh, I must go with you, certainly—for I confess
I am not courageous enough to remain here by myself!
Besides, I am very cold, and need all the
exercise I can get.”
“I hardly know,” returned Henry, hesitating,
“that it will be prudent for us to go after the horses!
The same labor it would cost us to get to them,
would take us beyond the fallen timbers in the
other direction, and perhaps enable us to rejoin our
companions in case they have halted on account of
the storm.”
“But suppose they have not?”
“Then we should have a long walk to overtake
them—for unless they have already halted, they
probably will not short of the ford—a distance of
five or six miles at least.”
“Let us go for the horses, then!” said Isaline.
“Well, if you think best!” answered Henry.
They immediately began to descend the mound,
and, reaching the bottom in safety, went out of the
inclosure through the northwestern opening. They
then began to pick their way over the trunks and
through the tangled branches of the fallen trees; and
though they made what haste they could, they were
nearly an hour in getting to the point they aimed at
-- 112 --
[figure description] Page 112.[end figure description]
beyond the track of the tornado. Here their progress
in that direction was stopped by a reedy marsh, now
covered with some two or three feet of water, which,
as the rain still continued to pour, was every moment
gradually rising. As Henry had foreseen, they could
not cross this, but would have to go around it; and
as the fallen forest came up close to its margin, there
was no other way than to continue to push over and
through the matted trees as they had been doing. In
one respect they had made a great miscalculation,
and that was concerning the time it would take them
to accomplish their purpose. Before setting out,
they had supposed that an hour, and even a much
less period, would be quite sufficient for them to
reach the horses; but an hour had been consumed in
getting to the marsh, and it took them more than another
hour to work their way around to the ridge
where they could move forward with far less difficulty.
When at last they reached the rock where
they had seen the animals quietly standing together,
neither beast was there, nor even in sight.
Isaline uttered a cry of vexatious disappointment.
“All this valuable time lost and nothing accomplished!”
she said.
“They cannot be far off, I think!” returned Henry,
with an uneasy look. “By following this ridge
around a little further, I doubt not we shall find
them quietly feeding in some sequestered nook.
See! here are their tracks in the wet earth, and it is
no difficult matter to pursue so clear a trail.”
-- 113 --
[figure description] Page 113.[end figure description]
They went forward again, hoping every minute
to find the beasts they sought, but every minute
getting further from their friends and having so
much less of daylight left to them. It was certainly
not a prudent undertaking, this going in
quest of the horses, and they now admitted it to
each other. The trail led them into a thicket, and the
search consumed another hour without any favourable
result.
“This is too bad!” at last exclaimed Henry, coming
to a stop; “you are being all tired out, dear
Isaline, and no good accomplished! Three hours of
such labor in the other direction would have carried
us to our companions, even supposing them to have
made no halt short of the ford, and now we have all
that ground to go over, with only a little more than
an hour of daylight left to us!”
“Then we must give up this search for the horses
and go back at once!” said Isaline.
“Yes, yes—we have no time to waste!” returned
Henry, anxiously. “I blame myself severely that I
did not come to this decision sooner; but I was lured
on by the hope that we should presently have our
horses in our possession again, and would not have
to make the backward journey on foot. What has
caused these beasts to lead us such a chase I am at
a loss to imagine!”
“Perhaps they have been led or ridden themselves!”
suggested Isaline.
-- 114 --
[figure description] Page 114.[end figure description]
Henry started, and turned toward her a look expressive
of suspicion and alarm.
“God forbid,” he said, “that there should be enemies
abroad in the wilderness here, and we in such
a defenceless condition! Let us hasten back, dear
Isaline, but not the way we came. Here! we will
strike out another course toward the ridge you see
vonder, and follow it round on the other side. We
will return to the rock where the horses were—for
since you have made the alarming suggestion, I am
anxious to see if we really have any such cause for
fear.”
They started instantly, in great haste—for though
there might be no other danger, they feared the night
would set in before they could get across the fallen
timbers in the direction of their companions—and to
be caught out alone in the darkness, in such a dreary
waste, would be in itself a calamity. By the new
route they took, and the speed they made, they returned
to the rock where they had seen the horses
in something like half an hour.
“Gracious God, preserve us!” ejaculated the young
man, turning pale and pointing to the broad trail,
first made by the animals and then by themselves
in going in pursuit of them.
“What is it, Henry?” gasped his frightened companion,
nervously clutching his arm.
“Whether the horses were led off, or ridden off, I
cannot say—but here are prints of moccasined feet,
which were not here when we set off in search of
-- 115 --
[figure description] Page 115.[end figure description]
them! May God in His mercy help us and save
us! for our own trail has surely been followed by
savages!”
Isaline uttered no cry and made no reply, but
looked wildly and helplessly into his pale face, on
which were already standing great beads of perspiration,
wrung from him by the agony of thinking of
their exposed and defenceless situation.
“Come!” he exclaimed, throwing his arm around
her almost fainting form, to give her his manly support,
and half lifting her from her feet, at the same
time glancing fearfully about him, as if he expected
to behold a hideous savage start from every bush;
“we must fly, dear Isaline—fast and far—fast and
far—and may God in His mercy give us strength
to run and deliverance from these awful perils!”
-- 116 -- p473-121
CHAPTER IX. FLIGHT AND PURSUIT.
[figure description] Page 116.[end figure description]
Henry, supporting his fair companion in the manner
stated, took the backward course along the base
of the ridge so oftened mentioned, in order to go
around the marsh and gain the fallen timbers, in
which he hoped to find a place to secrete Isaline
and himself from savage eyes, till the coming darkness—
now no longer dreaded, but looked forward
to with hope—should shut in the scene of danger
and desolation.
The two fled rapidly together, both nerved by
one dreadful fear, their very hearts seeming to leap
into their mouths at the snapping of every stick or
any other sound.
Their course had been chosen by impulse and
not calculation, or they would have taken the opposite
one—for a moment of calm consideration would
have shown Henry how much the danger would be
increased in this direction—since, if the savages
were on their trail, they would unerringly be led to
this side of the ridge, at a point not far beyond that
at which they were now aiming, and with the
chances of discovering them before they could possibly
reach it.
-- 117 --
[figure description] Page 117.[end figure description]
The rain was still falling, but not very heavily, for
the great weight of the storm had gone eastward,
and in the west the clouds were already breaking,
with a prospect that the declining sun would set
in shining splendor.
Pressing forward with all the speed that fear
could lend to their strength and will, they soon
reached the fallen timbers on the other side of the
marsh, and at once plunged into the cover of the
tangled mass, with no intention of crossing it in the
exposed manner they had so recently done, but
solely with the view of concealing themselves for
the time and getting themselves recruited for another
flight.
Fortunately dense coverts were now not difficult
to find—for though the wood had been a comparatively
open one—that is, in a great measure, clear
of under-brush—the falling of the trees, one over
the other, with their thick branches matted in together,
in a perfect network of limbs and leaves and
vines, afforded such places at every few steps; and
rather seeking huge trunks to crawl under than
places to stand upright, Henry and Isaline crept back
for a hundred yards or so from the edge of this wild
scene of destruction, and at last came to a full stop
among the tangled boughs of a gigantic oak.
“Ah!” exclaimed the young artist, drawing a long
breath of relief; “thank God we have reached here
without discovery!”
-- 118 --
[figure description] Page 118.[end figure description]
Isaline clapsed her hands, turned her white face
upward, and breathed a silent prayer of thanksgiving.
For a minute not another word was spoken, each
seeming too deep in reflection to give voice to
thought.
“But are we safe here now?” at length spoke the
trembling girl. “I have heard it said that Indians
can follow a blind trail, and surely ours can be easily
seen!”
“If the savages are really on our trail, we are not
safe here, dear Isaline, I am sorry to say!” replied
Henry; “but I thought we might venture to rest
here a few minutes and then resume our flight.”
“And which way shall we go?”
“In the direction of our companions.”
“Oh, let us not waste any precious time here—
for I am so unnerved! so fearful that something
terrible is going to happen! Gracious Heaven!
only think of our being captured by these fiends of
the wilderness!”
“The very thought of your being in their hands,
dear Isaline, makes me shudder!” rejoined Henry.
“But have you no thought for yourself?”
“Yes, but my fears for you are far greater than
for myself.”
“You are very kind to think of me,” returned
Isaline, “and I trust you will always find me grateful;
but I beg you will not forget that your own life
is quite as valuable as mine!”
Henry was about to make a reply, when both
-- 119 --
[figure description] Page 119.[end figure description]
were suddenly and terribly startled by several short,
sharp Indian yells.
“Gracious Heaven! are we discovered?” gasped
Isaline.
“Not yet,” replied Henry; “but undoubtedly our
last trail is, and we must make a rapid flight to
escape these human bloodhounds! Keep up your
courage, dear Isaline, and follow me! We must
pass under the trees and through as much water as
possible, that our trail may not be easily perceived
and rapidly followed!”
He instantly set forward, pressing through the
branches of the oak, and then picking his way
under the trunks of the trees where the gloom of
the scene was deepest. If the Indians pursued
immediately, they must have done so leisurely, or
found the trail troublesome, for our flying fugitives
heard no more of them for nearly an hour.
Unconsciously they had taken a westerly, instead
of a southerly, course; and they had just worked
their way through the belt of fallen timbers to the
swampy thicket which joined it in this direction,
when a few wild screeches were given in the wood
behind them. At first Henry thought they were
discovered, and that all hope was over; but on looking
around and seeing no living thing, he took
heart, suspecting the yells might have been for
intimidation, or some other than the cause he feared;
and throwing an arm around Isaline to support her,
-- 120 --
[figure description] Page 120.[end figure description]
he plunged at once into the bushy thicket and
pressed forward with all the speed he could.
This thicket, consisting for the most part of small
trees and bushes, as if it had not very remotely
been cleared of a heavy wood and was now growing
up again, had felt the force of the tornado, though
its effects were not so destructively marked as in the
forest, because the smaller bushes had bent in together
without breaking, and only here and there a
sapling had been blown down or uprooted: still
enough had been done to make it very difficult for
our friends to force their way into and through it,
and, in spite of their utmost exertions, their progress
was so slow that every moment they expected the
savage yells of discovery to ring in their ears. Yet
they went on and on, trembling between hope and
fear, and every minute feeling that so much was
gained, because the sun was going down and their
safety would be much increased by darkness.
At length they descended into a little hollow,
through which now poured a roaring stream, mostly
the collected waters of the late storm, and, just as
they reached the bank of this, the sun burst out in
splendor near the horizon, sent his bright rays
through the still falling drops of rain, and set the
glorious bow of promise in the east.
“See!” said Henry, pointing to it; “may we not
draw an augury of hope?”
He had scarcely spoken, when, back some distance
behind them, was heard a loud rustling of the
-- 121 --
[figure description] Page 121.[end figure description]
bushes, as if some heavy body was swiftly pressing
through the thicket; and with a low, startled cry,
Isaline impulsively clung to him as if for protection.
The sound, whatever it was, drew nearer and
nearer, and even Henry turned pale as he glanced
up the little ridge in fearful expectation.
They were not long kept in suspense—for, in less
than half-a-minute, a fine buck bounded into view,
aiming directly for the spot where they stood; but,
on seeing them, it shot off swiftly in another direction,
and was heard plunging through the water
some distance below.
“Quick, dear Isaline!” said Henry; “I fear the
Indians are not far behind! and we must break our
trail here, or never hope to escape!”
Supporting her as before, he hurried with her into
the stream, far enough to conceal their footprints,
and then both went up against the current as fast as
could be done without the noise of splashing the
water.
Every moment now was full of the most intense
anxiety, for Henry felt that their safety hung on the
next few minutes. If time could only be given
them to get out of sight of the spot where their trail
came down to the water, the savages would be uncertain
in what direction to look for it, and might
suppose they had gone directly across the stream,
and a half hour's delay in searching for it now
would put the sun behind the western hills and
-- 122 --
[figure description] Page 122.[end figure description]
favor them with the first shadows of night. Two
hundred yards up the stream was a sharp bend,
where the roaring waters came dashing around the
point of a huge rock, and Henry fixed his hope on
that and strained every nerve to reach it.
“See! dear Isaline—see!” he said encouragingly
to his half-fainting companion; “if we can only
turn yonder rock before the savages discover us, I
think we shall be safe for the night. Press forward
for your sweet life, Isaline, and all may yet be well!”
The distance was short; but it seemed to stretch
into miles, and the moments into ages, so little was
their progress in keeping with their desires.
A moment—a single moment—a brief second—
how much of all that concerned this world and the
next for them might rest upon that little scarcelynoted
point of time! Should the savages reach the
water one moment before the bend of the rock were
turned, then captivity and suffering, the loss of all
that would make life desirable, and perhaps the
most agonizing tortures and the most fearful death;
while that one moment gained to them might give
them salvation—life, liberty, hope and joy—a return
to their friends, and a future of happiness! And all
this, it might be, hanging on one single moment! a
duration to be measured by two beats of the heart!
Never did time seem so important to them as now;
and never was it so divided and subdivided into infinitesimal
points, and each as it were noted by
them with such fearful, trembling anxiety!
-- 123 --
[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]
“For your sweet life, dear Isaline, press forward!”
urged Henry: “only one minute more and we shall
be saved!”
And then to himself he added:
“Gracious Heaven! shall we never, never reach
that rock! which seems to recede as we advance!”
They draw near to it—nearer and nearer—panting
with hope. Ten seconds more—only ten—five—
three—two—one! Ah, thank God! they have
turned it, and the stream below them is shut from
their view! Ah, thank God indeed! They are
ready to drop on their knees in the water to give
humble thanks!
But hark to those wild Indian yells! The savages
have reached the bank of the stream below just
one moment too late; and they yell, partly because
they are not certain where to look for the trail that
is lost in the water, and partly to intimidate the poor
fugitives that they believe are within hearing of their
infernal voices.
Oh, Henry,” gasped Isaline, “do you think they
have seen us?”
“God forbid!” he answered with a shudder. “I
think we escaped discovery by one bare moment!
But we must not remain here, for they may run up
and down the stream to find our trail! Let us try
to cross here. Behind that rock is a thicket, in
which we may perhaps conceal ourselves till after
sunset, when the deep shadows of night will give us
more freedom.”
-- 124 --
[figure description] Page 124.[end figure description]
They struggled across the roaring waters, which
were nearly waist deep, and ran so swiftly that it was
with great difficulty they could keep from being
swept downward. They reached the bank, at length,
and found a bushy thicket on one side of the huge
rock, into which they crawled on their hands and
knees, and then stopped, panting and exhausted, and
waited, watched, and listened, with such feelings as
those only may know who have stood in dread suspense
with the most awful of calamities impending.
Slowly—oh, how slowly—the bright sun went
down behind the hills, as if loth to quit so eventful
a scene! and then with what wildly beating hearts
did our poor, trembling fugitives watch the deepening
of shadow upon shadow, as the only hope that
remained to them! for more than once did they hear
a sound, sometimes near and sometimes distant,
which convinced them the Indians were actively on
the search for them.
Night came at last, and found them crouching beside
the rock in the thicket, a little relieved from
their most intense fears, but chilled and miserable
in their wet garments, which were clinging to them
and stiffening and cramping their limbs.
“Oh, Isaline,” whispered Henry, for he dared not
speak aloud with such keen ears listening, “would
to God it were in my power to make you more
comfortable, even by so little a matter as food and
fire! but here I am as helpless as yourself.”
“And quite as much in need of what you name
-- 125 --
[figure description] Page 125.[end figure description]
as I,” returned Isaline, in a manner that showed she
was not selfish in her thoughts.
“Oh, no,” he answered, “for I am a strong man,
used to this wild, rough life; and that, so to speak,
which might scarcely bend me, would destroy
you!”
“Nay, my kind friend, I can endure more than
you suppose!” she rejoined.
“Heaven knows it will be enough!” he sighed;
“and Heaven only knows what the trial will be! I
pray God it may be no greater than you can bear,
and that deliverance may be near at hand!”
“With all my heart I say Amen to that for both!
But what is to be done now, Henry? Should we
not be using all these hours of darkness in endeavoring
to find our way across the dreary wilderness
to our companions?”
“I am almost afraid to ask if you think you can
endure the fatigue of such a journey?”
“Oh, yes, I shall be quite strong the moment I
can think these scenes of horror are being left
behind us. It was the almost paralyzing fear of
falling into the hands of these monsters of the
wilderness, that made me so nearly helpness during
our flight hither; and but for your kind support, I
should have sunk by the way, and at this moment
perhaps have been beyond the reach of hope. Most
generously, nobly, did you peril your life for mine—
for without me you could easily have escaped—and
all I have to offer in return are my febble thanks,
-- 126 --
[figure description] Page 126.[end figure description]
my sincere gratitude, and my earnest prayers that
God will bless and reward you!”
“Oh, Isaline,” said Henry, with emotions that
rendered his words almost inarticulate, “if you had
a world to offer in exchange for what you have
named, I would not accept it!”
There was more that his heart prompted him to
say—more that would have brought the warm blood
to her cheeks and temples—but he would not permit
his lips to speak it then and there; he felt it
was not a proper time and place; it seemed to his
generous nature as if it would be taking unfair
advantage of circumstances that would not allow
her perfect freedom of reply; and he remained
silent.
The silence was long and deep, for both now
became absorbed in thoughts that neither cared to
utter. In the mind of Henry there was a sweet,
bright image, that was more to him than all the
rest he had ever seen and known; and the soul of
Isaline was filled with emotions she would not have
cared to reveal. The forest was still, the wind had
died away, the stars came out bright in the vault
above, and nothing could be heard but the steady
roar of the waters, as they swiftly rolled through
their channel around the point of the projecting
rock.
Suddnely both were startled by a strange sound,
like the hooting of an owl. It might be only the
cry of that night-bird, but it recalled both from
-- 127 --
[figure description] Page 127.[end figure description]
their dream-like reveries, to a sense of their lonely,
perilous and defenceless situation.
“If you are able to continue the journey, dear
Isaline, it is time we were leaving this place,” whispered
Henry.
“Yes! yes!” she returned, cautiously rising to her
feet; “let us leave here, Henry—let us leave here at
once!”
“Follow me, then,” he rejoined, also rising and
beginning to part the bushes, “and be very careful
not to make the slightest sound, for undoubtedly
our savage enemies are near us.”
He had scarcely advanced a dozen paces, when
both were thrilled with horror at a wild, prolonged,
quavering sheriek, that echoed and re-echoed far
away among the gloomy hills!
-- 128 -- p473-133
CHAPTER X. NIGHT WANDERING.
[figure description] Page 128.[end figure description]
“Oh, Heaven! what is that?” whispered the terrified
Isaline, convulsively clutching the arm of Henry.
“It is the same sound I have heard before,” he
answered, with an involuntary shudder—“the Phantom—
the Demon—the dread Unknown of the forest—
God only knows what!”
“Oh, what will become of us?”
“Courage, dear Isaline—courage!” rejoined Henry.
“If it is from the other world, as the superstitious
scouts believe, it will not harm us; and if it belongs
to this world, we have less to fear from it than from
the savage men we have eluded. Wherever we are,
dear lady, we are in the hands of an ever-watching
and all-seeing God; and let us put our faith and
trust in Him who has so far mercifully preserved us
through the most fearful perils!”
“Yes,” said Isaline, resignedly, “we will put our
trust in Him who alone is able to deliver us! I thank
you for the consoling words! It is strange,” she
continued, after a momentary reflection, “that the
prophecy of Rough Tom should have had such a
singular fulfilment! You remember how he declared,
in the most positive manner, that disaster
-- 129 --
[figure description] Page 129.[end figure description]
would befall every one so unfortunate as to even
hear this mysterious Unknown; and how true the
prediction has been in our case, our situation here
tells.”
“To my mind,” returned Henry, “there is no connection
between the prediction and the facts. It is
an easy matter to declare that misfortune will come
upon all who venture upon a long journey through
a perilous wilderness, for the chances are that the
prophecy will in some degree be verified; but
beyond that I have no faith in idle signs and omens.
What has happened to us, would have happened
had there been no mysterious Unknown abroad, and
we shall neither be the better nor the worse for
what we have heard to-night. What I do fear, are
the living, savage men who have so closely followed
us, and I pray God we may be able to put leagues
between us and them before the light of another
day. Come! let us move on, again, cautiously but
bravely, and leave the rest in the hands of Him who
notes the fall of a sparrow.”
Slowly, cautiously, and almost noiselessly, Henry
again parted the bushes and moved through them,
holding one little trembling hand of Isaline in his—
leading her forward through the darkness, with the
fond hope that he might ever so continue to lead her
through the journey of life.
Having at last cleared the thicket, without anything
further to alarm them, they ascended, with
great caution, a steep, rocky ridge, with a few bushes
-- 130 --
[figure description] Page 130.[end figure description]
growing here and there, and occasionally a small
tree, which evidently had not felt the force of the
tornado, and which led Henry to believe they had
now got clear of the track of devastation.
On reaching the top of this ridge, they paused,
under the deep shadow of an oak, to look about
them and arrange the course to be taken as most
likely to carry them back to their companions.
They were wet, chilled, hungry, and not a little
fatigued; but they regarded these things as mere
trifles in comparison with their almost wonderful
deliverance from the dangers which had so closely
beset them, and their hearts were too full of gratitude
for the mercies received to have a repining
thought for the misfortunes which had pressed upon
them. The storm had all passed and gone, the
heavens were now clear and serene, and myriads of
stars were shining out brightly from their far-off
regions in space. They looked around them, in the
dim light, but there was little they could see, and
nothing that was cheering. The scene was still and
gloomy, and the shadows of night lay too deep on
the earth to permit them to trace more than a faint
outline of the nearest woods and hills. To the
northward the hill they were on rose still higher and
obstructed a view of the country in that direction;
but as the distance was short to the summit of this
elevation, Henry proposed they should go to the top
and take a full survey of the landscape, saying it was
possible they might discover the camp-fire of their
-- 131 --
[figure description] Page 131.[end figure description]
enemies, which, under the circumstances, was a
matter of great importance, as it would enable them
to shape their course so as to avoid an accidental
contact. They went up the acclivity accordingly,
and almost the first thing they saw was the light of
a fire in the valley to the eastward.
“There they are,” he whispered; “and if only
you were in a place of safety, and my friend Tom
and a few of his brave companions were with me,
nothing would suit me better than to go down and
take them by surprise.”
“Let us go!” returned Isaline, nervously; “let us
get as far from them as possible while we are favored
by the darkness!”
“Yes,” rejoined Henry, “let us go at once. I
think I know my course now, and, with God's help,
we will leave a vicinity where our perils have been
so great.”
“And do you think it possible for us to find our
way back to our companions to-night?” anxiously
inquired Isaline. “How can you tell in the darkness
what course to take?”
“I have thought of that,” said Henry; “and as we
cannot now be far from the Licking River, it will perhaps
be best to go on till we come to that, and then
it will be an easy matter to keep along its right bank
to the Blue Lick ford, where our companions, if
they have met with no disaster, are probably now
encamped.”
-- 132 --
[figure description] Page 132.[end figure description]
“Oh, what if they have been assailed by the savages?”
shuddered Isaline.
“I have little fear of that,” replied Henry; “for,
unless abroad in greater force than I think, they
would hardly venture against so many deadly rifles.
They are probably a small party, who have crossed
the Ohio with a view of attacking and plundering
such isolated settlers as they may chance upon; and
it may be they are the same who attempted to decoy
us ashore, and who have since crossed and leisurely
followed the train, in the hope of cutting off a few
stragglers. We will leave them now, however, I
trust forever.”
Henry and Isaline now set forward together, to
make their way, as best they could in the darkness
to the Licking River. It was a dreary journey they
had before them—for the night, which concealed their
trail from their enemies, also hid from their view
their own best course, so that they depended as much
upon chance or Providence in going right as upon
reason and calculation. It was literally a plunge in
the dark—up hill and down—through woods of
trees, and thickets of bushes and cane—now around
a marsh and now across a stream—till poor Isaline
was almost ready to faint from exhaustion and
fatigue.
At last they came to a steeper and higher hill
than any they had before ascended, and Henry said:
“From the best calculation I have been able to
make, dear Isaline, we are now but a little way from
-- 133 --
[figure description] Page 133.[end figure description]
the Licking River—for I feel almost certain it flows
through the valley on the other side of this acclivity.”
“And how far do you suppose we are from the
ford?” she inquired, in a feeble and dejected tone.
“I hardly dare guess,” he replied, in a manner
that expressed much uneasiness and anxiety; “but
I fear it is much too far for you to walk there to-night;
for we have been much longer in getting here
than I expected, and I know you must be nearly
worn out. Oh, it is terrible to think how you are
suffering! and that I have no shelter, food and fire
to offer you! no place where you can rest and be refreshed!”
“I must confess I do feel the worse for my
journey,” returned Isaline, “perhaps because I have
never been accustomed to such physical exertions;
but I will try to go on, hoping and praying the Lord
will give me strength enough to accomplish my
deliverance!”
“It is absolutely necessary for you to have rest,”
said Henry, “or you will be overdone; but the night
air is cool, and to sit down in your wet garments I
am afraid will do you great injury. If you were
to fall sick here—But God forbid! I dare not
think of it! Let me see! Something must be done!
Fortunately I have my flint, steel, and tinder-box
with me, and can soon start a fire. If I only had
my rifle also, I should be comparatively happy, for
then I should feel almost certain of taking you
-- 134 --
[figure description] Page 134.[end figure description]
through in safety—if not to our companions, at least
to the nearest station. But do not despair, dear
Isaline—do not despair! Once on the other side of
the Licking, we shall not have to go far, I think, to
discover some settler; and if we find the way to the
ford too long, we will cross the stream and take our
chances over there.”
“Is that side of the Licking more settled than
this?”
“Yes, a great deal more, for as yet but few have
ventured to build their cabins on this side of the
stream.”
“But how shall we cross the river, Henry?”
“If you are not afraid, I will swim over with you—
or we will find some old logs and lash them together.”
“And should we be safe on the other side?”
“I think so.”
“Oh that we were there now, then!”
“Will you venture to let me swim across with
you?”
“If you think the risk of life is not too great!”
“If you will follow my directions in every particular,
and not become alarmed, dear Isaline, I am
certain I can carry you safely over.”
“Would you cross to-night?”
“I would rather have daylight for it.”
“But we have not yet come to the river.”
“True! and before we swim it, it may be as well
to find it,” said Henry, with a light laugh—not
-- 135 --
[figure description] Page 135.[end figure description]
because he felt in a light or merry mood, but that he
might seem so to his companion, in order to raise
her spirits.
They toiled up the hill slowly, and, on reaching
the summit, looked down upon what might have
been a bottomless pit—for so thick were the trees
and bushes, and so deep the valley, that it was
covered with a pall of darkness impenetrable to the
eye.
“Oh, I can never venture down there!” shuddered
Isaline.
“It is the valley of the Licking, I am almost certain!”
said Henry.
“Say rather the Valley of the Shadow of Death!”
“No, dear Isaline, we have just passed through
that to get here. Come! do not be discouraged or
alarmed! for so far all has gone better than we
could have hoped.”
“Yes, and God knows how thankful I am to Him
for all his mercies, in so wonderfully preserving us
through that awful tempest, and delivering us from
almost certain captivity, if not death!”
“If I am not mistaken in the character of the
country,” said Henry, “we shall, by keeping along
on this ridge of hills, soon come to a ledge of rocks,
where we can find some secure retreat—some little
cave, perhaps, in which we can kindle a fire and get
some rest. If we do find such a place, dear Isaline,
would it not be well for you to take a short sleep,
and let me stand guard? and even were you to
-- 136 --
[figure description] Page 136.[end figure description]
sleep all night, and renew the journey at daylight,
would it not be better than to go on as we have
done in this dark uncertainty?”
“I will be advised by you, Henry,” she answered.
“I confess I do feel the need of rest, and will take it
if you think it can be done with safety.”
“Undoubtedly it can, Isaline—for we are at least
some miles from our savage enemies by this time,
and they cannot possibly find our trail till daylight,
if at all; and the chances are, that, having failed to
overtake us before dark, they will not attempt to
renew the pursuit.”
“But you need sleep as well as myself, Henry!”
“And I can get what I need, and guard our camp
also,” he replied, “for I have been so long used to this
wild, watchful life, that I can sleep sitting, or even
standing, and the least sound will wake me.”
“Oh, what will our friends think of our long absence?”
said Isaline: “my poor servants will nearly
go demented!”
“There will be the greater joy, then, when we
return.”
“If we ever do!” sighed Isaline.
“Nay, you must not think that, but look hopefully
to that future which I trust has many bright
days in store for both of us.”
“Who could have predicted this morning that we
should be wandering here in this wild, gloomy
place to night, in this sad condition! Truly we know
not what a day or an hour may bring forth!”
-- 137 --
[figure description] Page 137.[end figure description]
“Truly we do not, indeed!” responded Henry.
“And it is even so in the moral journey of life. If
we turn aside never so little from the straight path
of rectitude, we cannot foretell the amount of pain
and suffering that will ensue.”
Thus they continued to converse as they slowly
picked their way forward along the summit of the
hills, around the imbedded rocks, through the
bushes, and under the trees that had stretched up
their tall trunks and cast their deep shadows over
the ground for centuries.
Suddenly the deep stillness was broken by a
long, plaintive howl from the dark valley below,
which was answered by another far in the distance.
Isaline trembled with fear, and almost convulsively
clutched her companion.
“Be not alarmed, dear one!” said Henry; “it is
only a wolf or two, and they will not venture to
attack so formidable a creature as man at this season
of the year.”
“I know I am a little coward,” returned Isaline,
“and I fear you will lose whatever good opinion you
may have formed of me.”
“Nay, dear lady, if you will believe me, I think
you a remarkable heroine—for the very fewest number
of your sex, with as little experience of this
wild life of danger as you have had, would have
borne up as bravely; and as to my losing my good
opinion of you—ah, Isaline, if I dared to express
-- 138 --
[figure description] Page 138.[end figure description]
my feelings, you would have little cause to repeat
the observation!”
To this Isaline did not reply, and the two moved
on for some distance in silence.
Suddenly again they were both startled by a
savage growl, coming up from the thick darkness, a
few feet below them to the right.
“Oh, Father in Heaven!” gasped Isaline, again
clutching her companion.
“This is more serious!” he said, throwing his left
arm around her and drawing his knife with his right
hand. “It is a bear—perhaps with cubs—and we
must give the beast a wide berth. Here! this way,
as quick as you can, and with as little noise as possible!”
Both hurried off to the left, and the animal did
not follow them. These sudden alarms, in connection
with what had gone before, made Isaline so
weak that she would have been unable to proceed
but for the support of her companion.
Soon after this they reached a point where the
trees were more dwarfed, the bushes somewhat
thinner, and the soil more rocky; and a few hundred
yards further on they came to a ledge, similar to
what Henry had pictured in his mind.
“Here,” he said, “I feel almost certain we shall
find a place where we can pass the night in safety.”
The rocks were of all sizes and shapes, and our
two friends began to move in among them with
greater caution; Henry making the best exploration
-- 139 --
[figure description] Page 139.[end figure description]
he could in the darkness for some cave-like opening,
or cave itself, where his fair companion could be
both sheltered and concealed. While they were
thus occupied and conversing with each other, both
were once more fearfully startled, this time by a
human voice, which came up in a deep, guttural
tone from the black pit below, gruffly articulating
the words:
“Who you?”
“Oh, merciful Heaven! we are captured at last!”
groaned Isaline, ready to sink with dismay—for both
she and Henry believed it was the voice of a savage
that had addressed them.
-- 140 -- p473-145
CHAPTER XI. THE WHITE INDIAN.
[figure description] Page 140.[end figure description]
With his knife still in his hand, and one arm
supporting Isaline, for a few moments Henry stood
irresolute, undecided whether to yield himself a
peaceable prisoner, or defend himself till overpowered
or cut down, or attempt another escape in
the darkness. Though he could see nothing of the
owner of the voice, he doubted not that both himself
and companion had been seen by the speaker, and it
might be that a deadly rifle was at that very instant
bearing upon them. This vague conjecture was the
next moment rendered almost a certainty to his
mind by the guttural words of the unknown:
“Speak who? me shoot!”
“We are two quiet persons who have lost our way
in the forest,” answered Henry, now fully decided to
surrender without resistance.
“Throw gun, tomahawk, knife—me come!” returned
the voice from below, the speaker still remaining
invisible.
“Unfortunately I have neither gun nor tomahawk,
and my knife is at your service, if you insist upon
having it.”
“No un'stand much speak!” rejoined the invisible
unknown.
-- 141 --
[figure description] Page 141.[end figure description]
Henry reasserted, in the most simple language he
could frame, that his only weapon was a knife,
which he would yield up to his, the stranger's, demand.
“T'other one?”
“She is a squaw, and has nothing to fight with.”
“Stand, me come—run, me shoot!” said the unknown.
“We will wait for you,” returned Henry; and
added, in a lower tone: “Because there seems to be
no alternative.”
There was a noise as of some one cautiously
moving up from the black pit, but it was more than
a minute before even so much as the shadow of a
figure became visible to the strained eyes of Henry
and Isaline. First a head dimly appeared, slowly
emerging out of the black gloom, and then a body
gradually followed; but whether or not the dread
form advancing upon them was that of a fierce
savage in his war paint, they could not tell. This
shadowy figure continued to approach, slowly and
cautiously; and when quite near, Henry perceived
that a rifle was held before it in such a position
that it could be discharged at any object in an instant.
“Don't shoot!” said Henry; “we yield ourselves
prisoners at once.”
“Throw fight down!” said the same gruff voice.
Henry understood this to mean that he must throw
down his weapons; and casting his knife on the
-- 142 --
[figure description] Page 142.[end figure description]
ground, under the belief that it could avail him nothing
against the rifle of the unknown, he held up
both hands, with the open palms outward. A word
to Isaline caused her to do the same.
The strange unknown now came close up to both
and peered into their faces. It was light enough to
disclose the general outline of the lineaments at a
distance of six or eight inches, and Henry was surprised
to see, instead of a savage, the face of a white
man. The head was covered with a sort of cap,
made from the skin of some wild beast; and the
garment which inclosed the body, without sleeves,
leaving the arms bare, was likewise of the same
material.
“You are not an Indian?” said Henry, inquiringly.
“Oogh! me no Injun—me white!” was the reply.
“Thank God for that! I was afraid we had fallen
into the hands of a savage!” cried Henry, with an
internal relief that his words only faintly expressed.
“Me white!” repeated the other, in a tone of satisfaction;
“me Injun long time!”
“Ah, I understand! You were born white, but
have spent most of your life with the Indians, which
accounts for your speech being so much like theirs?”
“Oogh! me white—long time Injun—no un'stand
much speak Englee!” returned the other, picking up
and examining the knife which Henry had thrown
down.
“Do you live with the Indians now?” inquired
Henry.
-- 143 --
[figure description] Page 143.[end figure description]
“Me live alone.”
“Where?”
The stranger pointed down the hill.
“Have you a cabin there?”
“Oogh! wigwam!”
“You will not hurt us?”
“Methoto* no hurt.”
“Is your Indian name Methoto?”
“Oogh! Methoto me!” he replied, tapping his
breast. “Buffalo you call um.”
“You will give us something to eat, Methoto?”
“Who you?”
“We were travelling through the country, when
the storm overtook us, our horses ran off, and we
have lost our way.”
“Oogh! big storm!”
“Yes, terrible!”
“Want eat?” asked the white Indian, pointing to
his mouth and addressing Isaline.
“Oh, yes, if you will be so kind!” she answered.
“Come!” he said, and at once began to move down
the hill.
Both Henry and Isaline followed, winding down
among the rocks and through the bushes for several
minutes, till at last the stranger opened the door
into some kind of a hovel, and in his gruff way
bade them enter. There was a sort of rude chimney
and fireplace on one side of the habitation, with a
-- 144 --
[figure description] Page 144.[end figure description]
few smouldering embers on the hearth, and by the
dim light of these our unfortunate friends could see
that the dwelling was small, probably only contained
one room, and furnished with only a kettle or two, a
slab bench, and a pallet of skins.
A large piece of fresh venison was depending
from the antlers of a stag in one corner; and this
Methoto immediately took down and laid on the
bench before his guests, at the same time returning
Henry his knife and making signs that he was to
cut off what he needed for himself and companion.
He then set about kindling a fire; and Henry, with
a feeling of cheerfulness he had not experienced for
many a long hour, said to Isaline:
“Our seemingly worst disasters are, by the goodness
of Providence, turned into blessings!”
“For which I am more thankful than I can express!”
she replied, with tearful eyes.
The fire was soon started, and by its cheerful
blaze the weary guests for the first time had a fair
view of the appearance of their strange host. As
before remarked, he was dressed altogether in skins,
with the hairy side out, and looked almost as much
like a beast as a human being. A skin, rudely
sewed together at the back, with two arm-holes
through it, covered his body, and was belted around
his waist, and reached down nearly to his kness,
where it was met by leggins of the same kind; but
his arms were bare, and, from long exposure to the
weather, had become of a dirty tan-color. He had
-- 145 --
[figure description] Page 145.[end figure description]
put aside his rifle and powder horn; but in his belt,
ready to his hand, were a tomahawk and hunting
knife. About the face he was not particularly ill-looking,
though evidently with a nature somewhat
brutalized by the life he had lived. His eyes were
of a cold, grayish hue, and set wide apart, with
heavy, shaggy brows meeting over a short, flat nose.
His mouth—a feature in which so much of character
is usually denoted—was large and sensual—though
the peculiar stare of the eyes, and general immobility
of the whole countenance, indicated a dull,
sluggish, phlegmatic temperament. Without being
instinctively wicked or cruel, you could see he was
a man to be feared whenever his worst passions
should be aroused. In stature he was short, but his
frame was heavily built, and he evidently possessed
great strength. He appeared to be of German extraction
and quite young, or at least under five-and-twenty
years of age.
It was not easy to converse with this strange being,
owing to his limited use and understanding of
the English tongue; but Henry managed, by a
series of simple questions, to ascertain that he did
not know his own name, parentage, or place of nativity—
that he had been captured by the Indians
when a mere child, if not an infant, and been adopted
and brought up by his captor, who was the only
father of whom he had any knowledge.
A year or two before the date of our story, he and
his Indian father, and two Indian brothers, had
-- 146 --
[figure description] Page 146.[end figure description]
crossed the Ohio and entered Kentucky, with the
view of getting a few white scalps, stealing some
horses, and carrying off what plunder they could.
One night they had come upon a solitary cabin, occupied
by three women, (apparently mother and
daughters,) and a blind negro boy. Admittance
having been refused them, they had cut away the
door and murdered three of the parties—one of the
girls making her escape by leaping through a back
window and running into the forest. He made
Henry understand that the girl they had killed
was in his eyes very handsome, and that he had felt
so badly about what had been done, that he had at
once resolved to leave the Indians and return to his
own race. He had soon found an opportunity.
After they had plundered the house of such things
as they could carry with them, and had fired it,
they had started on to hunt up new victims; but
when they had got well into the forest, again, he
had given the others the slip, and had made his way
to a neighboring station, where, in the best manner
he could, he had disclosed the startling facts. A
number of the garrison had at once set off in pursuit
of the savages, taking him along as guide. He had
gone unwillingly, for the idea of seeing his friends
destroyed, (and, whatever their deeds, they had ever
been friends to him,) had been a terrible one; but
he had been told that a refusal to comply with their
commands would subject him to instant death. The
result of the whole affair was, that the Indians had
-- 147 --
[figure description] Page 147.[end figure description]
been followed, found, and slain; and that, after
their death, he had himself narrowly escaped being
hung by the infuriated whites. Not wishing to
return to the Indians, and finding nothing congenial
among those of his own race, he had wandered about
in the depths of the forest for a time, and had finally
fixed his abode in the solitary place where he now
was, and where his hovel had been built by himself
without assistance from any one. In fact he was almost
certain it had never been seen before by other
eyes, for our friends were the first guests that had
ever entered it.
He now lived a wild, solitary life, his time being
chiefly employed in hunting, fishing, and raising a
small patch of corn on an opening about a mile from
his dwelling. His shanty was cleverly concealed
among rocks and bushes on the bank of the Licking.
He owned a canoe, which he had fashioned himself,
after the manner of the Indians, from the bark of a
tree and the skin of a deer, and this was so light that
he could put it on his shoulder and carry it a mile
without stopping to rest. He held no communication
with his fellow-beings except when compelled by
necessity to visit some station for the purpose of exchanging
his skins for powder, lead, fish-hooks, and
such things as he could not do without, and then he
only stayed barely long enough to transact his business,
and was always glad to get safely back to his
hermit-like home.
Such, in brief, was the story and life of this strange
-- 148 --
[figure description] Page 148.[end figure description]
being, which Henry drew from him, little by little,
while occupied in preparing something for his fair
companion and himself to eat.
The fire itself was a very cheerful thing to see
and feel after such a gloomy drenching; and as Isaline
sat on the bench drawn up before it, and warmed
herself and dried her wet garments, she thought she
could not be too thankful to that kind Providence
which had not only preserved her through the most
fearful perils, but had led her steps to a place of such
comparative comfort.
Henry toasted several slices of the venison, and
the host brought forward a horn-cup filled with salt,
and a hard cake, made of pounded corn mixed with
water and baked in the ashes. The world has unquestionably
produced many a better meal than our
friends feasted on that night, but it would have been
a difficult matter to have made them believe so then,
and it is probable that they never in their lives ate
anything with a sharper appetite and a keener
relish.
“There,” said Isaline, when she had finished her
supper and washed down the last morsel with a cup
of cold spring-water, which the strange host brought
expressly for his guests, “I feel like a new being,
and more thankful for all God's mercies and goodness
than I can find words to express. But while I
thank Him, let me not forget our kind entertainer,
who, whatever his past deeds and sins, is at least
-- 149 --
[figure description] Page 149.[end figure description]
deserving of my poor gratitude for what he has done
for us to-night!”
The latter had thrown himself down, in Turkish
fashion, near one corner of the fireplace, and, with
his back partly turned toward his guests, appeared
for the time to be wholly absorbed in looking at the
bright coals. Isaline went up and touched him on
the shoulder. Perhaps his revery, whatever it was,
had carried him into some dreadful peril—for no
sooner did her hand rest upon him, than, with a
bound, that drew from her a startled cry, he came
full upon his feet, and faced round, like a tiger at
bay, with his tomahawk gleaming above his head,
ready to fall with a fatal stroke. Quick as lightning
Henry sprung forward to snatch Isaline from the
impending blow, and at the same instant the white
Indian discovered his mistake and cast his weapon
from him, with an exclamation that showed he condemned
his own foolish act.
“Me 'fraid white man catch Methoto for hang!”
he said, by way of explanation. “Oogh! me fool!
No hurt squaw!”
Reassured by his words and manner, Isaline,
though still somewhat nervous from her sudden
fright, again approached him, but more timidly, and,
holding out her hand, said:
“I want to thank you, Methoto, for all your kindness
to us!”
The white savage took the proffered hand in one
of his, and then she regretted she had so particularly
-- 150 --
[figure description] Page 150.[end figure description]
called his attention to herself, for he fixed his cold,
gray eyes upon her, with a look that expressed more
admiration than she wished to excite.
“Squaw much handsome—big heap!” he said.
He stared at her, with a look that made her afraid;
and when she would have withdrawn her hand and
shrunk away, he would not let her go.
“Squaw like Methoto?” he asked.
“You have been very kind to us, and I wanted
to thank you, that is all!” she answered, changing
color.
“Oogh! good wigwam!” he said, moving his other
arm majestically, and casting his eyes around him,
as if to show that in that single word he comprehended
his entire possessions. “Me like squaw
keep wigwam, big heap!”
This was certainly a rather sudden and novel
mode of courtship, and, under different circumstances,
might have amused both Isaline and Henry;
but now it only excited a feeling of annoyance, allied
to fear—for there was no telling to what extremes
such a strange being might be carried by his whims
and passions. Isaline, frightened and embarrassed,
glanced appealingly at Henry, who said, very quietly,
but firmly:
“Squaw girl is too young to be Methoto's wife
now.”
Instantly the cold, gray eyes of the host were
turned and fastened searchingly upon him.
-- 151 --
[figure description] Page 151.[end figure description]
“Oogh! guess white brave want squaw girl wife
himself!” he said.
“She is going home to her father,” returned
Henry, in the same quiet tone, “and will not be
anybody's wife at present.”
Methoto looked at him steadily for some moments,
then turned and stared at Isaline till her eyes fell,
and then let go of her hand and drew a deep sigh.
Now really afraid of him, Isaline drew as far back
as she could and out of the light of the fire. Methoto
followed her with his eyes, as one might
mechanically do while thinking of something else,
and then turned and fixed his gaze upon the bright
coals as before.
“After all, I would rather be in the forest than
here!” Isaline now whispered to Henry.
“I do not think you have anything more to fear,”
he answered. “It was probably a whim that came
upon him at the moment and is already forgotten.
Act as though nothing had happened and leave me
to manage him. I want you to remain here and get
what sleep you can, so that you can start refreshed
at the first streak of day. I will keep watch over
you, dear lady; and believe me, with so precious a
charge in my care, I will not neglect my duty!”
“No, my dear friend, I know you would not,”
replied Isaline; “I had no fear of that; but if this
whim, as you call it, should return to him again,
there is no knowing but that he might murder you
to get entire possession of me!”
-- 152 --
[figure description] Page 152.[end figure description]
“Do not be alarmed, dear Isaline!” smiled Henry.
“I am not one to be easily put out of the way. If
the worst should come to the worst, we are simply
man to man, and the scouts would tell you I am not
an adversary to be despised.”
“But he is so much stronger than you!”
“The battle is not always to the strong, nor the
race to the swift, dear lady!”
“But he is well armed!”
“I at least have my knife, with the chances of
getting hold of his rifle if I should need it. No, no,
dear Isaline, give over your fears, I beg of you, and
sleep as safely here as if under the roof of your
honored father.”
“Oh, my dear father! would to Heaven I were
under his roof this night indeed!” she sighed. “But
I will do as you think best, Henry—I will put my
whole trust in you.”
“Thank you, dear Isaline! and may Heaven so
guide me aright that you may always feel you can
safely put your trust in me! Now then say nothing,
but let me arrange everything with our strange
host.”
He turned to the figure before the fire, which now
had the motionless attitude of a statue, and in a low
tone spoke the name of Methoto. He had to repeat
it twice, and the last time quite loudly, ere the
strange being seemed to hear him. Then he looked
around, but in a rather stolid manner.
“The squaw girl is very tired and would like a
-- 153 --
[figure description] Page 153.[end figure description]
place to sleep for the night,” said Henry, pointing to
Isaline, and accompanying his words with such signs
as made their meaning perfectly clear.
“Oogh!” grunted the white Indian.
He then went to the corner where his own couch
of skins was spread, and, selecting three of the best,
one of bear and two of deer, returned and laid them
carefully down before the fire, with the remark:
“Much wet—fire heap good!”
He then went out and brought in some more wood,
with which he started the blaze afresh; after which
he barred his door, (there appeared to be no windows,)
handed Henry a couple of skins for his own
use, and, with merely a grunt for a good night,
threw himself down on his own rude bed, and
seemed immediately to fall asleep.
“There,” said Henry to Isaline, in a low tone, “you
see our host sets us an example of confidence, by
putting himself completely in our power; and now
that you have nothing to fear, I trust you will be
able to get a refreshing sleep.”
“But have we nothing to fear, Henry?” whispered
Isaline, with a suspicious glance toward their apparently
slumbering host. “Is this strange being really
putting good faith in us and actually slumbering? or
is this all feigned for some purpose?”
“Whether real or false,” answered Henry, who
had his own suspicions, “it will make no difference
in my vigilance, dear Isaline; and as you have
promised to put faith in and be guided by me, I
-- 154 --
[figure description] Page 154.[end figure description]
must now insist upon your lying down and getting
what rest you can!”
Isaline, without further demur, complied with his
request; and with the bear-skin spread on the
ground, and the two deer-skins for a pillow, she laid
herself down before the fire, which, except for her
still wet clothes, would have rendered the place uncomfortably
warm for her without other covering,
but which, under the circumstances, produced a very
pleasurable sensation.
Not to seem to be on the watch, Henry also cast
himself down between the host and herself, with
his face turned toward the former, so that every
movement could be seen, firmly resolved not to
close his eyes for a single moment throughout the
night.
eaf473n1* Shawanese for Buffalo.
-- 155 -- p473-160
CHAPTER XII. NEW TROUBLES.
[figure description] Page 155.[end figure description]
Whoever has passed the night in a sick chamber,
where constant vigilance has been required, is aware
how difficult it is at times, in the solemn stillness,
to keep the senses on the alert. However wakeful
the watcher may be at first, and however firmly resolved
that the drowsy god shall not approach and
take him from his guard, he almost invariably finds
himself arousing with a start from a nodding
dream; and then, while in the very act of fortifying
himself against a repetition of the same, he again
yields to the somniferous influence.
Such was the case with Henry Colburn. For the
first hour or so he easily kept awake, thinking over
the strange and wonderful events of the day, and
watching the uncouth and fantastic shadows that the
flickering fire-light caused to dance on the ceiling and
walls of that old hovel, and which gradually changed
to darker and more grotesque shapes along with a
deeper surrounding gloom, as the blaze became
gradually weaker and weaker, till they finally disappeared
as the last flame expired over the glowing
embers. There was more wood on the hearth; but
the night was far from being cold, and the room was
already uncomfortably warm, and so Henry resolved
-- 156 --
[figure description] Page 156.[end figure description]
to only now and then put on a small stick, not for
heat, but merely for the purpose of keeping the
place from settling into a deep and fearful darkness.
But while thinking about doing this—yet delaying
it from minute to minute, for fear of awaking Isaline,
whom he now believed to be asleep—he lost
himself.
He awoke with a start, as if from the sensation left
by some horrible dream which he could not remember.
It seemed to him that his eyes had been closed
only for a moment; and yet, by the dull embers and
almost total darkness of the place, he knew it had been
a long, long time for a sentinel to have been neglecting
his duty—perhaps an hour—perhaps more. He
turned his eyes toward the corner where his strange
host had retired to rest, and, with a feeling of horror
that made his hair stand, he dimly saw the shadowy
figure of Methoto standing upright and having
something in his hands which looked like a rifle.
Was his host's sleeping, then, a mere pretence?
and his whole object murder? Perhaps he wished
to return to the Indians again, and desired to take
them a white scalp as a peace-offering! Or, again,
as Isaline had suggested, perhaps his design was to
kill her protector to get possession of herself!
But what was to be done, to save himself and her?
To start up suddenly, and attempt to defend himself,
would only be to hasten his doom; while by keeping
perfectly quiet, he would first know if his suspicions
were well founded, and, if so, might find some
-- 157 --
[figure description] Page 157.[end figure description]
opportunity to take his adversary at an advantage. If
the white Indian really did intend to kill him, it was
hardly reasonable to suppose he would shoot him
while believing him to be asleep; but would probably
make the attempt first with his knife or tomahawk,
having his rifle ready in case of need; and as he himself
had his own knife in his belt, perhaps he might,
by waiting for his opportunity, take the other by
surprise and use it with fatal effect: so he remained
still, but keenly on the watch.
Presently the grim, shadowy figure came slowly
and stealthily toward him; and with a motion imperceptible
in the deep gloom, Henry drew his knife
from its sheath and quietly prepared himself for a
tiger-like spring. Nearer and still nearer came the
dread host, and with a step so light that it could not
be heard. When within a few feet of him, Henry
could see that it was indeed his rifle which he had
in his hand; and the fear that he really intended to
use it, made him secretly tremble, brave though he
was; but now, to his great relief, the host stopped
and rested the weapon against the wall, and then
went quietly to a corner of the hearth and sat down,
doubling his legs under him, in Turkish fashion, as
he had done once or twice before that evening, and
seemed to become absorbed in looking at the dying
embers.
“Can it be that I have mistaken him?” thought
our hero; “and that, after all, what I supposed to be
a murderous design, was only a civil intention not
-- 158 --
[figure description] Page 158.[end figure description]
to disturb me? But then why did he have his rifle
in his hand? and why did he bring it forward and
place it so near him? Perhaps he had a wicked
design, and has changed it! or it may be he still
retains it, but is resolved upon a little delay in its
execution!”
Like a beast upon its prey, ready for the fatal
spring, Henry kept his eyes riveted upon Methoto.
The latter sat there for nearly an hour, silent and
motionless, and then got up quietly, and stealthily
went back to his pallet of skins, leaving his rifle standing
against the wall.
“He is a strange, eccentric being, and perhaps I
have suspected him without just cause!” thought
Henry.
By this time only a few sparks of fire were remaining,
and the hut was almost in total darkness.
Henry would have got up and kindled more, but
Isaline appeared to be sleeping very sweetly, and he
was afraid of waking her. Fortunately she had
known nothing of his suspicions and fears.
“And after all,” he thought, “we may be as safe
without a light as with one, for I will keep on my
guard the rest of the night, and should this strange
being attempt to murder me, the darkness will as
effectually conceal my movements as his.”
He did not sleep again that night, though at times
the desire was so strong that he found it very difficult
to keep from yielding to it. To him the night
proved very long and tedious, but to Isaline very
-- 159 --
[figure description] Page 159.[end figure description]
refreshing. After the host had retired the second
time, he appeared to sleep very soundly—at least
he did not get up again, nor give his wakeful guest
any further cause for suspicion or alarm.
When the first streak of day began to show
through here and there a crevice of the hut, Henry
arose, Isaline awoke, and Methoto started up at the
same time. At that moment Henry could easily
have seized the rifle of his host; and reflecting how
comparatively helpless was the condition of himself
and companion, he was tempted to do so, and make
both secure; but there was something in the act that
did not accord with his open, generous nature; and,
after the kind hospitality he had received, he did
not feel justified in thus showing his suspicion.
Giving himself a shake, like a wild beast rising
from his lair, Methoto came forward, took up his
rifle, opened the pan, to see that the priming was all
right, and then went back and set it up in a corner;
and Henry, who watched him closely all the time,
was glad he had not touched the weapon.
By this time Isaline had risen to her feet, with the
remark:
“I do believe I have been asleep.”
“I rather think so,” smiled Henry, “for many a
long hour has passed since you lay down.”
“Hours, do you say, Henry?”
“Yes, for it is now morning.”
“Is it possible? And we have all been safely
preserved through the night! Thank God for that!”
-- 160 --
[figure description] Page 160.[end figure description]
“Yes, day is once more breaking upon the world,
and God send it may be a day of deliverance for us!
How do you feel, dear Isaline?”
“Oh, refreshed and strong, as if I could do
wonders in travelling.”
“I am glad to hear it, for we have another long,
hard journey before us!” said Henry.
Then turning to their host, he inquired the distance
to the ford near the Blue Licks.
Methoto shook his head.
“Do you know where the place is?”
“Oogh! me know.”
“How far could the sun go,” pursued Henry,
pointing to the east, and making a motion over his
head with his hand, to indicate the movement of that
luminary from its rising to its setting, “while you
were walking there?”
He had to repeat the question some two or three
times before the other could understand him.
“Oogh! so much!” replied Methoto at length,
indicating by a similar motion of his hand about
one-fourth of the distance.
“That is about three hours,” said Henry to Isaline,
“and so I judge the distance to be some ten or
twelve miles, which shows that we have been getting
further off instead of nearer.”
“Should we not start at once, then?” anxiously
inquired Isaline. “I am afraid the Indians will set
out on our trail as soon as it is light.”
“They would have to find it first,” replied Henry,
-- 161 --
[figure description] Page 161.[end figure description]
“and I hardly think they will make the attempt,
considering how many hours we have had the start
of them. Still it may be prudent for us to set out
as soon as we have broken our fast.”
“If we could cross the Licking at once, I should
feel much safer, Henry!”
“True; and doubtless we can do so, for Methoto
has a canoe, and will probably set us across.”
He explained to the white Indian, by words and
signs, what he wanted, and the other nodded assent.
Then taking up some two or three short, rough slabs
at one end of the shanty, the host pointed down to
the little vessel, which was resting on the slope of the
hill, among some bushes, a few feet above the high
water of the muddy stream that was sullenly flowing
past.
“Oogh! me paddle over water!” said Methoto.
“Thank you!” returned Henry. “And now if
you will give us something more to eat, and then
put us over, we will always think well of Methoto.”
The other at once set about kindling the fire; and
having done this, he produced his venison and corn
cakes; and Henry, acting as cook, soon prepared a
meal for Isaline and himself, exactly like the one of
the night before. Of this they both partook quite
heartily, and by the time it was finished the bright
sun of a cloudless day was beginning to shine upon
the rocky summit of the hill above them.
Feeling now quite secure of escaping from the
savages who had pursued them, even should they
-- 162 --
[figure description] Page 162.[end figure description]
find their last trail, Henry proposed to Isaline that
they should step out and look around them before
crossing the river.
“Let the delay be very brief then,” said Isaline,
“for I confess I do not feel at all safe on this side of
the Licking.”
On going outside, the first thing that struck them
was the curious manner in which the hut of Methoto
was concealed in the midst of a clump of high
bushes, which, on three sides, only left a small portion
of it visible, that next to the river being the
most perceptible, but only from the narrow bank
between it and the water, or from the stream itself,
or from the shore directly opposite. The hill above
was steep and rocky, with here and there a stunted
tree, or a few bushes, shooting up from between the
stones; and even Henry, experienced as he was in
wood-craft, admitted that he might have passed
along within a few yards of the hut without seeing
it at all. The scenery around was wild, and in some
places grand and solemn, though the sun was rising
brightly and a few birds were singing merrily. The
Licking, raised some feet by the rain of the previous
day, was rolling along its muddy waters at a
greater speed than usual and with a sullen murmur,
bearing downward sticks and bushes and now and
then the old decaying trunk of some tree that it had
floated off from the shore. From the other side rose
a steep, heavily-wooded hill, whose foliage of green
leaves looked sombre and mysterious, and excited in
-- 163 --
[figure description] Page 163.[end figure description]
Isaline a feeling of awe and dread at the thought of
entering and picking her way through it with so
slight a protection as her companion might afford
her from the dangers therein concealed.
“May Heaven be propitious, and enable us to rejoin
our companions before another awful night sets
in!” she said; “for we might not even find another
place of rest as comfortable as the one we are about
to leave.”
They now went back into the hut, and Henry told
his host that if he would set them across the river
they would resume their journey and part from him
with many thanks for his kindness, and would besides
so represent him to their friends that he should
some day receive a proper reward for his hospitality.
As soon as he could be made to understand this, he
seemed much pleased, and returned several nods and
grunts of apparent satisfaction.
“Oogh! white man no hang Methoto?” he said.
“Never, where I have the power to prevent it!”
rejoined Henry. “Poor fellow!” he said, speaking
his thoughts aloud rather than addressing the other;
“yours is a hard case indeed—leading this lonely,
solitary life, without a single friend or companion, a
fugitive from the Indians, and rejected by your own
race! This must not be; something must be done
for you; for even though your crime was great, it
must be considered that you acted according to your
savage education and immediately repented and
atoned for the deed as far as lay in your power.
-- 164 --
[figure description] Page 164.[end figure description]
There are few of us, God knows, but what have done
some wrong which has merited far greater punishment
than we have received; and until a man gets
his just deserts for his own sins, he should not bear
too hard upon the sins of his neighbor!”
Methoto listened to Henry and looked pleased; for
though he could only guess at his meaning, he knew
from his tone and manner that it was kindly meant.
As our friends were now anxious to be on the move,
Methoto led the way to the canoe, which was pushed
up into some bushes under the lower side of the
hut, the latter resting upon the ground on the upper
side, and a couple of rocks on that next to the river,
with a space between them, underneath the foundation
logs or sills, large enough to contain a fair-sized
boat. The canoe, as before remarked, was small
and light, being intended only for carrying one
person on the water, or being by that person in
turn carried on the land; and when Isaline came to
examine it, and looked at the dark, turbid stream
flowing past, she felt like shrinking away from the
danger she could so clearly foresee. It was about
seven feet in length, not very deep, widest in the
middle, round on the bottom, and pointed at the
ends, the body of it composed of bark, with skins
drawn around the outside and secured so as to hold
it together and keep it from leaking. To one of
steady nerve, good balance, and great skill in the
navigation of such a craft, it might do for a conveyance
over the water; but Isaline felt that she would
-- 165 --
[figure description] Page 165.[end figure description]
upset it before getting a dozen feet from the shore,
even could she get into it at all, of which she had
some serious doubts.
“I would not dare to trust myself in that!” she
said to Henry.
“I am afraid it will not answer,” he replied, with
something like a sigh, “and thus is lost the hope of
crossing the river here, for in the condition the
stream is now I would not undertake to swim it
with you as I proposed last night.”
“And is there no other way of getting across?”
asked Isaline, with an anxious look.
“I suppose we might construct a raft if we had
time; but it would take hours, to say the least, to
collect the materials and put them into a safe condition
for the venture, and thus the day would be
lost.”
“And our foes be upon us!” added Isaline, shuddering
at the thought. “Oh, what is to be done?”
“I fear there is nothing better for us than to continue
our journey on this side of the stream.”
“But is it not necessary for us to cross the river?”
“Somewhere it is.”
“And will not the ford be too deep for us, in case
our companions shall have gone over?”
“It may be,” replied Henry, with a troubled look.
“But surely there must be some way for us to cross
this stream!” he pursued, musing seriously. “Let
me think! Ha! I have it! You must go over in
-- 166 --
[figure description] Page 166.[end figure description]
the canoe, Isaline, and I will swim along-side and
keep it from upsetting.”
“It is a fearful risk, but there seems to be no
alternative,” she rejoined.
“Yes, it must be so!”
While this conversation was taking place, Methoto,
without heeding it, and probably without
understanding even the drift of it, kept himself busy
in hauling out the canoe, carefully examining it, and
putting it into the water, where, by the time his
guests had arrived at their decision, he was holding
it with one hand and waiting for them to enter.
Henry now explained to him his design of swimming
and thus keeping it upright. Methoto shook
his head, in a way to show that he very much disapproved
of the plan.
“Squaw still sit—no turn!” he said.
“I dare not risk it!” replied Isaline.
Methoto stared at her for a few moments, with a
mingled look of pity and admiration—pity for her
fears—admiration of her beauty. Isaline grew
quite uneasy, and turned her eyes away, as if to
observe some distant object. There was something
about the look of that strange being, when his whole
attention was concentrated on her, that made her fear
him even more than the river.
“Squaw heap 'fraid?” he asked.
“Yes,” nodded Isaline, without glancing at him
again, and rapidly turning her eyes from one object
-- 167 --
[figure description] Page 167.[end figure description]
to another, as if fearful there might be other dangers
gathering around her.
“Much handsome!” pursued Methoto, who, in
common with most of the Indians of the Ohio tribes,
or Six Nations, had picked up quite a number of
English words from the British agents and traders
of the Canadas, with whom they were on friendly
terms. “Best come stay Methoto wigwam!”
“Come, come, we are wasting precious time here!”
now interposed Henry, rather sternly.
Methoto turned and gave him a look that was
hard to interpret, because it seemed to mean so much
and yet expressed so little—a stern, hard, cold stare,
that might either indicate a want of comprehension,
or secret, sullen anger at his interference.
“If you will put us across the river at once, we
will give you many thanks,” pursued Henry, returning
his look with an unquailing eye.
“You swim?” asked Methoto.
It was a natural question, because perfectly in
accordance with his own proposition; but Henry,
who was gazing straight into his eyes, and endeavoring
to understand the soul that was looking out
through those dull windows, saw, or fancied he saw,
a slight, momentary gleam of satisfaction or triumph;
and reflecting that for himself to be in the water
swimming, with Isaline in the boat with Methoto,
was to put a new temptation to crime before that
strange, dark being, that he might not care to resist,
he answered, in a decided tone:
-- 168 --
[figure description] Page 168.[end figure description]
“No, I have changed my mind—I shall not swim!”
“You 'fraid some?” said the other, with an expression
of disappointment slightly blended with
contempt.
“For the present, Isaline, I regret to say we must
take our chances on this side of the river,” said
Henry, turning to his fair companion.
She looked at him and caught his meaning at a
glance.
“Yes, Henry, the river is too dangerous!” she rejoined,
with an expression that showed she comprehended
everything.
“What do?” inquired Methoto, looking curiously
from one to the other.
“We must keep on this side of the river to the
ford—too much danger on the water.”
“No go canoe?”
Henry shook his head.
With a look of sullen disappointment, Methoto
jerked the boat ashore, picked it up as if it had been
a light stick of wood, and, taking two or three steps
up the hill, hurled it under his hut, among the
bushes, where it rested as at first.
“He is angry with us now, and I am so afraid of
him!” said Isaline, with a shudder.
“Would to God I had my rifle and ammunition
with me!” returned Henry, with a look of deep
anxiety. “But I must get possession of his—our
safety, I fear, depends on it! Be calm, dear Isaline,
I pray you, and seem as careless and indifferent as
-- 169 --
[figure description] Page 169.[end figure description]
possible! We must both play a part here—Heaven
help us!”
Methoto did not return to his guests, but immediately
plunged into the bushes and disappeared on
the other side of his rude dwelling.
“Oh, Heaven! perhaps he has gone to get his rifle
to shoot you, Henry!” cried Isaline clasping her
hands.
Henry remembered what he had seen in the night,
and had his own suspicions and fears, but he merely
said:
“We must go up and meet him with smiles—it
may be our only hope!”
-- 170 -- p473-175
CHAPTER XIII. CONTINUED FLIGHT.
[figure description] Page 170.[end figure description]
Both Henry and Isaline immediately started up
the hill to meet the white Indian, according to the
suggestion of the former; but the latter trembled in
every limb, and felt her brain reel.
“Courage, dear one!” whispered Henry. “You
must master your fears and put on a smile, for everything
may depend on you!”
Thus roused to attempt what then seemed to her an
impossible task, Isaline threw the whole strength of
her soul into the despairing effort to put her nerves
under the control of her will, and met with a success
that astonished herself. She prayed God for aid, and
it came in a feeling of calm reliance and strength of
purpose that to her seemed very wonderful and
mysterious.
We know not our own strength till we try ourselves
against some great calamity or adversity and
conquer.
When our friends reached the door of the hut,
they met Methoto in the act of coming out. He
had his rifle in his hand, there was a frown on his
brow, and his eyes had a sullen gleam. The whole
expression was cold and wicked.
-- 171 --
[figure description] Page 171.[end figure description]
Isaline greeted him with a smile. He looked surprised
and somewhat embarrassed.
“I think we shall have to stay with you a little
longer, Methoto,” she said, in her most fascinating
manner, “or else get you to go with us.”
There came a slight glow upon his weather-beaten
features, as if the blood had taken a sudden start
upward. He seemed a little confused, and glanced
at Henry.
“The river runs too fast,” said the latter.
“Heap 'fraid canoe—no swim!” he rejoined.
Henry nodded, and Isaline smiled.
“Come stay Methoto wigwam?” he said to Isaline.
“For a while, perhaps.”
“I am afraid we shall eat everything up!” said
Henry, accompanying his words with intelligible
signs.
“More corn—more deer!” replied Methoto. “Gun
good—shoot heap!”
“Can you shoot a bird?” asked Isaline, with appropriate
gestures.
“Oogh! me show!” answered the unsuspecting
white savage, evidently proud of his skill, and at
once beginning to look about him for a living
mark.
He stepped outside of the bushes that concealed
his dwelling, and our friends kept close to him.
Presently he espied a thrush, seated on the lower
limb of a tree, about thirty yards distant; and silently
-- 172 --
[figure description] Page 172.[end figure description]
directing Isaline's attention to it, he raised his piece,
took a quick aim, and fired. The bird fell dead.
He turned proudly to Isaline.
“Good!” she said, clapping her hands; “you are
a good marksman, and have a good rifle!”
“Oogh! Methoto fill wigwam full bear, deer, for
white squaw—big heap!”
Isaline smiled encouragingly, and Methoto hurried
off to get his prize.
“Oh, Heaven! how will this end?” said Isaline to
Henry, in a low, anxious tone, the moment they were
again by themselves.
“You must get leave for me to try my skill,”
returned Henry, “and by that means I may get possession
of the rifle. It would be a cruel meanness,
I admit, to deprive this poor fellow of his main
weapon, if there were any other way to protect ourselves;
but I see none. He was evidently coming
to seek us, with a murderous design, and I fear it is
only our stratagem that has so far saved us both!
With his rifle and ammunition in my possession,
he will be in my power, and no longer to be feared;
and if Heaven will favor our return to our friends, I
seeretly promise to restore his property, if I even
have to come back with it myself! You have done
bravely, dear Isaline—bravely! bravely! and if you
can only continue to play your part, all may yet be
well. There, be ready now, for here he comes!”
Methoto returned, with a look of triumph, and
handed the dead bird to Isaline, who received it with
-- 173 --
[figure description] Page 173.[end figure description]
a smile, and appeared to be much delighted, though
she secretly shuddered.
“I would like to see my friend shoot!” she smiled,
pointing to Henry and tapping Methoto's rifle.
“Perhaps I could not do as well!” said Henry,
with a careless yawn, reaching out his hand for the
piece.
There was a sudden gleam of suspicion from the
cold gray eye of the white savage, which Henry did
not appear to observe. At first he drew his weapon
a little back, as if he did not intend to part with it;
but seeing Isaline look a little hurt and pained—an
expression which, with a great effort, she threw into
her lovely face, for her very soul was secretly trembling
within her—he quietly handed his piece to the
other, watching him closely as he did so. Henry
took it indifferently, examined it with some care,
sighted along the barrel, and asked if it was loaded.
“No powder—no ball!” answered Methoto; “me
load um!”
“No,” returned Henry, “let me load and fire it
myself!”
He reached out his hand for the powder-horn and
bullet-pouch, which the other finally handed to him,
though with seeming reluctance.
Henry loaded the weapon with great deliberation,
and carefully primed it. A covert glance at Isaline
showed her very pale and slightly trembling. The
success of her ruse had almost unnerved her, and a
fearful reaction was beginning to take place.
-- 174 --
[figure description] Page 174.[end figure description]
Everything that he had sought was now in his possession,
and Henry nerved himself for the crisis.
“Step this way, Isaline, and show me the bird you
wish me to shoot!” he said, carelessly turning aside,
as if to seek his feathered mark.
Isaline understood him, and started forward with
tremulous haste, her very heart beating wildly.
She had passed him a few steps, and was apparently
looking eagerly about her for the object of
her quest, and Methoto had just started to follow,
when Henry wheeled suddenly around, and, pointing
the rifle at the breast of the white Indian, thundered
forth:
“Back, on your life, or you are a dead man!”
The expression of Methoto's features at that
moment would have been a study for a painter.
The blood instantly forsook his swarthy face, so as
to leave it quite pale; while astonishment, fear and
rage became about equally blended in his ugly
countenance. For a moment he seemed petrified;
and then his teeth began to gnash, his eyes gleamed
like a demon's, and his hands convulsively clutched
the knife and tomahawk still in his belt. Henry
cocked the rifle and stood firm, with an unmistakable
resolution depicted in his deep blue eye.
“One step forward and I fire!” he said, raising
the rifle to an aim.
The danger was too terrible to face; death was in
that hollow tube so unshakingly held before him;
the eye of the white Indian began to quail, his face
-- 175 --
[figure description] Page 175.[end figure description]
began to take on a ghastly expression, his stout form
began to shrink, tremble and cower, his brute
courage could no longer sustain him, and, with the
awful howl of a frightened wild beast, he suddenly
turned and bounded away, now dodging to the right
and now to the left, as if to avoid the aim of his foe,
till the thick bushes around his own dwelling completely
hid him from the view.
Instantly Henry uncocked his rifle and hurried to
the side of Isaline, whom he found as white as a
sheet and trembling like an aspen.
“Courage, dear one—courage!” he said, throwing
his protecting arm around her slender form; “the
worst is over, we are so far saved, and now let us
fly while we can!”
She seized and clung to him almost convulsively,
and the two set forward in breathless haste, plunging
along through bushes, stumbling over sticks and
stones, Henry every moment or two looking back
and sweeping the whole dreary scene with his keen,
experienced eye.
They did not ascend the hill again, but kept down
along the bank of the river, following the windings
of the stream, with no word from the ashy lips of
Isaline, and only now and then an expression of
hope and encouragement from Henry.
They ran through the open wood, forced their
way through thickets, and either leaped over or
dashed recklessly into the little fordable brooks and
creeks that crossed their path, regardless of
-- 176 --
[figure description] Page 176.[end figure description]
everything but the one purpose of escape from the possible
dangers behind them.
The sun came over the hill and streamed brightly
down into the romantic valley of the Licking, lighting
up scenes of picturesque beauty, that, under
pleasant circumstances, would have filled their genial
souls with poetical delight, but on which they now
bestowed only hurried glances of fear.
At last, after two hours of such anxious flight,
they came upon a sylvan retreat more enchantingly
beautiful than any they had yet beheld. It was a
spot where the hill, or right bank of the river, had
taken the form of a rocky bluff, and, falling back
from the stream, had swept around in a semi-circle,
inclosing a gentle slope, which was covered with
green grass and bright flowers, and shaded by grand
old trees, which were standing wide apart, interlocking
their branches overhead, and were here and
there draped with a long, silvery moss, and with
many a vine twining round them and hanging
downward heavy with clusters of rich, purple fruit.
At the bottom of the first green and flowery slope
was a broad, gravelly level, and then the ground
rose again, with a gentle swell, and terminated in a
low bluff, overlooking the main channel of the river,
which had quietly reached out an arm between the
two and made the second rise an island. This island
was not large, and was thickly covered with bushes
and trees—one of the latter, almost white from age,
stretching upward its hoary trunk and leafless,
-- 177 --
[figure description] Page 177.[end figure description]
jagged branches or arms, like some ancient patriarch
bestowing his blessings upon the rising generations
gathered around him. Between the main land and
the island, the water, to the depth of only a few
inches, flowed along with a pleasing murmur; but
through the main channel, which was narrow and
rocky, with a high bluff on its southern shore, it
rushed swiftly and angrily, with a hoarse, bubbling
roar. From the centre of this retreat, the view was
not an extensive one, for the river could not be seen
above the point where the bluff bent outward and
formed a high wall of rocks; but it was novel,
picturesque, and beautiful beyond description.
It was not to be supposed that one so keenly alive
to the poetry of nature as our young artist, could
pass through so enchanting a scene as this and not
feel his very soul stirred within him. From the
moment he entered the retreat, his quick, keen eye
noted everything; but he made no remark till he
reached about the centre of the place, when, as if he
could no longer control his feelings, he stopped and
exclaimed:
“A perfect Paradise! Was there ever anything
more beautiful?”
He looked at his companion for an enthusiastic
response, and saw that her features were deadly pale,
and that her lovely countenance had a weary,
troubled, haggard expression. She rallied a little at
his words, and, with a hurried glance around her,
replied, but quite faintly:
-- 178 --
[figure description] Page 178.[end figure description]
“Yes, it is very beautiful! very charming!”
“Dear Isaline, you are not well!” said Henry,
quickly, with a look of anxious solicitude.
“I feel somewhat fatigued,” she replied; “as if,
under the excitement, I had over-exerted myself.”
“Dolt that I am,” said Henry, “not to have considered
that a pace which would be ease for me might
be death to you!”
“Oh, blame not yourself, my dear friend!” returned
Isaline; “we have been flying to save our
lives, and have only done what necessity required.”
“I do blame myself, notwithstanding, that I did
not sooner perceive the injury this rapid flight was
doing you!” rejoined the other, in a tone of deep self-reproach,
as he gazed into her sweet face with a look
of anxious kindness.
Her dark eyes beamed full upon him, with an expression
that made his heart take a great leap—an
expression of earnest sweetness, gentleness, sympathy,
hope, faith, reliance—love!
Henry next spoke with agitation—for that one,
simple, truthful, unstudied look, excited emotions
that made his frame quiver—his voice tremble.
“You must have rest now, dear Isaline—your
condition absolutely requires it!”
“But have we time, Henry? is not the danger still
too pressing?”
“There will be more danger for you to continue
without rest!”
“I am so fearful of being pursued!” said Isaline,
-- 179 --
[figure description] Page 179.[end figure description]
glancing timidly around her; “if not by the savages
of yesterday, at least by Methoto, who I am certain
will not hesitate to kill you now if he can find an
opportunity!”
“But I have his rifle, dear Isaline, and he fears
for his own life.”
“Yes, but may he not get another somewhere, and
secretly pursue and murder you?”
“Borrow it of his nearest neighbor perhaps,” returned
Henry, with a reassuring smile; “but while
he is gone to that neighbor for it, I think you may
safely venture to rest an hour, more especially as
the journey there and back would cost him at least a
day.”
“But the Indians we escaped from yesterday may
be even now pursuing our trail! and if they should
come upon Methoto now in his anger, he would most
likely join with them and follow us for revenge!”
“There may possibly be something to be feared
in that respect,” said Henry; “but, should we now
continue our flight, and you faint by the way, what
would be gained to us? Ha! a happy thought
strikes me, dear Isaline! We can break our trail
here, and gain all the rest we need, with additional
security, even should we be followed as you fear.
Look at that beautiful island, and the shallow water
flowing between it and us! Now we will go up
through this grove to those rocks you see above,
which will take no impression of our feet—and
which, to any one following, will convey the idea
-- 180 --
[figure description] Page 180.[end figure description]
that we have hurried on up the stream—and then
we will turn back into the water, and return to the
lower end of the island, and there secrete ourselves
among the bushes, till such time as we may see
proper to resume our journey.”
“Perhaps this may be done with safety!” said
Isaline.
“It will add to our safety, believe me!” rejoined
Henry; “more especially if we can manage to set off
in another direction without leaving an easily discernible
trail.”
“Well, do then as you think best!” assented Isaline.
It was the work of only a few minutes to carry
out the plan suggested; and on reaching the lower
point of the little island, along the bed of the shallow
branch or overflow, it was found that their steps
could be continued in the edge of the water of the
main channel for nearly half the distance back again,
so that they really first set foot upon the island from
its western, or rather southern, side, and immediately
found themselves in a thick covert of bushes.
Carefully pushing their way through these towards
the centre of their new retreat, they soon came to a
large, flat rock, directly under the bare, jagged arms
of the hoary old tree we have mentioned.
“Oh, what a delightful spot!” exclaimed Henry,
with enthusiasm, as, with his sweet companion, he
mounted the rock, upon which the bright morning
sun was shining warmly and gratefully, and gazed
-- 181 --
[figure description] Page 181.[end figure description]
around upon the flowery grove, the bold bluffs, and
the rushing, roaring river. “Here, dear lady, we
can rest in peace for the present, even though our
enemies be in hot pursuit, which I do not believe,
for certainly they would never seek to follow us
directly into the arms of our companions.”
“Ah! our companions—would to Heaven we
were with them again!” sighed Isaline.
“Courage, dear one—courage—and we may be
with them sooner than you believe!”
“If they in turn have met with no disaster and
have not passed the ford!” said Isaline.
“And even if they have, there will be a way to
follow them,” said Henry, cheerily. “The river has
only been temporarily raised by the storm of yesterday,
and I can see that the waters are now rapidly
subsiding to their regular depth. By the time we
reach the ford, we shall undoubtedly find the stream
in a condition to cross.”
“And how far do you suppose we are from the
ford now, Henry?”
“I do not know—but not far—not more than
three or four miles at most, judging from what that
white savage told us.”
“Oh, if kind Heaven will only permit us to rejoin
our companions!” said Isaline, with tremulous
anxiety.
After soothing and reassuring her, with many
kind words tenderly spoken, Henry, whose passion
for drawing the grand, sublime, or beautiful in
-- 182 --
[figure description] Page 182.[end figure description]
nature, would not let him rest idly in so enchanting a
place, at length said:
“Will you pardon me, dear Isaline, if, while you
are resting, I attempt to sketch the beauties of this
most charming of nature's retreats?”
“Oh, yes, by all means,” returned the other, “so
that we do not make too long a delay here!”
The next minute the young artist was engaged in
his favorite pastime, and soon became so deeply absorbed
that all else was forgotten—danger, Isaline,
everything. Minutes flew by unheeded, an hour or
two passed away, and his mind was still as intent as
ever upon the work before him—he standing on the
rock, and Isaline seated at his feet.
Suddenly he was startled by a hand clutching him
convulsively.
“I hear voices!” said Isaline, in a low, frightened
tone.
Henry looked up and around.
“And I see Indians!” he rejoined, leaping down
from the rock and fairly dragging Isaline into the
bushes.
-- 183 -- p473-188
CHAPTER XIV. THE LAST FLIGHT AND CAPTURE.
[figure description] Page 183.[end figure description]
“Hist!” whispered Henry, to his trembling companion,
as he reached out and drew his rifle from
the old tree against which it was leaning; “not a
sound above your breath! Yet do not be too much
alarmed, for I am almost certain I was not discovered;
and, if so, we are as safe here as if a mile away.
Remain perfectly quiet here, dear Isaline, and let me
creep forward and reconnoitre.”
“Oh, Henry, you will not leave me! I must go
with you!”
“Follow me, then, but so cautiously as not to snap
the smallest twig, for these savages have very sharp
ears, and I tremble to think what would be your
doom should anything occur to betray our presence
here.”
We have said the island was thickly covered with
trees and bushes; but the whole space was small;
and from the spot where Henry first discovered the
Indians, to the point where he could look out
through a close covert upon the open grove of the
main land, was only a few yards—though so great
was his caution that he was comparatively a long
time in reaching it.
-- 184 --
[figure description] Page 184.[end figure description]
When at length he did get there, he saw that
which not only made him shudder, but awakened
the most strange and conflicting emotions—for there,
on the very spot where he had stopped with his fair
companion to gaze around upon the beauties of the
place, stood six hideously painted savages and three
white men—one of the latter being no other than
his long lost foe, Charles Hampton, the second Methoto,
and the third the villain who had attempted to
decoy himself and companions ashore on the Ohio.
A thousand thoughts rushed whirling through his
brain in a moment. Hampton then was not dead, but
had managed to join the Indians, and perhaps had
incited them to follow the train in the hope of finding
some opportunity of attacking it at advantage,
and of carrying out his own wicked purpose of
obtaining revenge and getting possession of Isaline.
It was natural to conjecture that they had observed
where two horses had turned off from the main body
the day before, and that a part of them at least had
followed that trail, and it might be that the storm
had saved himself and companion from immediate
capture. It was unnecessary to imagine what movements
had been made subsequently, since it was
clear enough that this party had got upon their trail
after the loss of the horses, and that nothing but the
darkness had again saved them from the hands of
their enemies. At daylight of the present morning
it was probable these savages had again discovered
their trail and rapidly pursued it to Methoto's cabin,
-- 185 --
[figure description] Page 185.[end figure description]
where the white Indian, conversing with them in
their own language, had undoubtedly given them all
the information in his possession, and had then willingly
joined them in the pursuit.
So much for the past, but what of the future? It
was terrible to contemplate! Henry saw that he
and Isaline were already cut off from their companions,
whom they had so fondly hoped to join
soon, and what chance of escape had they now?
The thought of their present condition made him
shudder; and yet he felt grateful to that kind Providence
which had so wonderfully preserved them
thus far, and even here had caused them to turn
aside and perhaps be saved from the capture that
would have ensued had they continued their flight.
All these thoughts went through the brain of
Henry almost at a flash as his eyes rested upon the
terrible group before him. For some cause the
whole party had halted upon the very spot where he
and Isaline had stopped scarcely two hours before,
but evidently not, like him, to admire the surrounding
beauties. The Indians were speaking together
in the thick, guttural tones of their native tongue,
and gesticulating rapidly, almost fiercely; and the
white men were standing a little apart and looking
at them—two of them evidently listening understandingly,
and Hampton noting the debate or dispute
with the interest of one concerned in the issue.
Of what they said, Henry of course knew nothing;
but from their gestures, he judged that the majority
-- 186 --
[figure description] Page 186.[end figure description]
were for continuing the pursuit, and one or two were
for turning back. If so, the counsels of the former
evidently prevailed—for suddenly the whole group
of Indians sprung forward along the trail, and the
white men as quickly followed.
Henry now turned back to Isaline, who had
stopped a couple of paces behind him; and his face
was so white, and his look so full of distress and
dismay, that she involuntarily clasped her hands
and gasped:
“What is it?”
“Did you see, dear Isaline?”
“No, nothing—I dared not creep up near enough—
but I heard strange voices.”
“Charles Hampton, Methoto, and the white decoy,
are united with six Indians in pursuit of us!”
“Merciful God!”
“They have gone forward on our trail, but they
will soon find where it ceases, and then I fear they
will suspect the truth and begin a search of this
island.”
“Oh, Father in Heaven!” gasped Isaline, pressing
her hands upon her heart, with a look of terrible
despair.
For a few moments Henry seemed lost in distracting
thought.
“It must be done!” he at length said, in a startling
whisper; “there is no other hope!”
Isaline looked the question her lips did not pronounce.
-- 187 --
[figure description] Page 187.[end figure description]
“Should the Indians come back here to make a
search, as I believe they will, there is no place on
this island where we could long escape their keen
eyes!” pursued Henry; “and if we were to fly now,
and get off without being discovered, they would
soon be upon our fresh trail and overtake us!”
“Then we are lost!” gasped Isaline.
“One only hope remains; but it is a desperate
risk, and will require all your courage—all your
nerve!”
“Speak! what is it?”
“You must place your life in my hands, and with
me leap into the rushing waters, and let them bear
us downward wherever God wills! Are you prepared
for the terrible venture?”
“Yes, my dear friend!” hurriedly answered Isaline;
“I will do whatever you advise! I will
commend my soul to God, and trust all to Him and
you!”
“If you will only remain passively in the water,
and not clutch me convulsively and encumber my
limbs, I think I can guide you safely to the shore:
if not, dear Isaline, at least I will perish with you.”
“Oh, no, no, Henry, my dear friend!” returned
Isaline, with the self-sacrifice of a noble soul; “do not
give up your own life; but if you find you cannot
save both, at least save yourself!”
“Isaline,” rejoined Henry, fairly trembling with
the excess of various contending emotions, “I receive
your counsel in the spirit it is meant, and therefore
-- 188 --
[figure description] Page 188.[end figure description]
forgive you; but oh! you do not know me, do not
comprehend my feelings, or such words would never
have been spoken! To give you up now, is more
than to give up life itself; to see you perish now,
would be to see the beauties, the joys, the glories
of the world swept away forever!—to see the brightness
of existence become a rayless gloom! But,
come! come! we are wasting precious time! wasting
moments on which our very salvation may depend!
Ah, Heaven have mercy! hark to that yell! Our
foes have discovered that our trail no longer leads
that way, and they will soon be back here in search
of us! Quick, quick, dear Isaline! gather all your
nerve for the great trial, and follow me, for life or
for death!”
He hurriedly crept back through the bushes,
(fearing to stand upright lest he should be discovered,)
to the edge of the rushing, roaring stream,
and Isaline closely followed him. Then came the
thought of Methoto's rifle—how was he to dispose
of that! To attempt carrying it in his hand, would
be to endanger the life of his sweet companion; to
leave it, or sink it in the stream, would almost be to
give up the hope of procuring food to live on in the
event of escape, to say nothing of losing the means
of defence. A moment of rapid thought, and he
determined on lashing it to his back. He regretted
it was loaded, for the charge in it would become
wet and difficult to remove, and to fire it off now
would be almost certain to bring the Indians directly
-- 189 --
[figure description] Page 189.[end figure description]
upon the spot. There was no time for delay—
whatever he would do he must do quickly—and
having decided upon his plan, he forthwith carried
it into execution. Fortunately he had a small cord
in the pocket of his hunting frock; and with this and
his belt, his own nimble hands, and the trembling
fingers of Isaline working under his direction, he
soon had his rifle secured in the manner he intended.
All was now prepared for the perilous undertaking
before him—the committing of himself and sweet
charge to the mercy of God, in the dark, turbid
waters of the river rushing along at their feet; and
taking a hand of the pallid, shuddering girl in his,
he solemnly asked:
“Are you ready, dear one, for the fearful trial,
for life or for death?”
“As ready now, dear friend, as I ever may be!”
came from her ashy lips. “To your care, dear
Henry, under God, I commit myself, for time or for
eternity!”
“And may the good God continue His mercies to
us!” he prayed. “Leap!”
They both sprung forward together; and down
they went, with a sullen plunge, into the rapid
stream, the dark waters for a moment closing over
them with a triumphant gurgle.
Henry was a good swimmer, and his presence of
mind did not desert him; but Isaline gasped, and
struggled, and clutched wildly hold of him, in a
-- 190 --
[figure description] Page 190.[end figure description]
manner that required all his strength and skill to
save them both from a watery grave. He was equal
to the emergency, however, and soon had her in a
position where she could do him no harm; and then,
as they went floating down on the bosom of the
current, he gave his whole attention to keeping her
head above water, and avoiding a collision with the
rocks, trees, and obstructions along the shore. Once
he made a desperate effort to swim over to the opposite
bank; but finding the attempt too perilous, he
quickly abandoned it, and confined himself only to
what was prudent and safe. With one hand firmly
holding Isaline, he found he could use his other
limbs to advantage in swimming forward somewhat
faster than the current carried them; and seeing a
large drift-log a few yards ahead of him, he made
strenuous exertions to reach it, and finally succeeded.
From that moment he felt that the danger of the
water was past; and when the first bend of the river
was turned, so that the savages above could not
possibly see them, he began to breathe freer, and
once more to have hope. He soon managed to get
Isaline fairly upon the log and himself by her side,
and then he had only to preserve a proper balance
and let the current carry them forward.
In this way they floated on downward for something
like a mile, when they came to a wild, romantic
spot, where the river narrowed and the banks were
steep and high, with trees and bushes growing down
to the water and reaching far out over it.
-- 191 --
[figure description] Page 191.[end figure description]
“Perhaps, dear Isaline,” he said, “we shall find no
better place for landing than this. Here is a noble
thicket, in which to conceal ourselves and rest; and
by climbing into the thick branches of some of these
trees, I do not think that the sharp eyes of our enemies
would be able to discover us, even should they
come searching down the bank of the river.”
“Do as you think best, my dear friend,” she replied,
in a low, sweet tone, expressive of the most
unbounded confidence in him, her guide and protector.
“I am only too thankful to you, under God,
for our present escape, and shall trust everything to
your discretion and judgment.”
“God bless you, dear lady!” he rejoined, with
passionate warmth; “and if I may only be permitted
to save you from these awful perils of the wilderness,
and restore you to the arms of your honored father,
I shall then see the happiest moments of my eventful
existence!”
“Oh, my dear, dear father!” exclaimed Isaline,
bursting into tears; “shall I ever behold him again?”
“I have great hope now,” replied Henry; “for if
we can only succeed in eluding these savages a while
longer, they will certainly give up the search.
Doubtless they would have done so long ere this,
but for the promptings of that fiend incarnate, who
is seeking you for a wicked purpose.”
“You allude to Charles Hampton?” said Isaline,
with a shudder.
“Yes! I think him, in this case, the master spirit
-- 192 --
[figure description] Page 192.[end figure description]
of evil! How he chanced to fall in with that other
treacherous villain, I cannot imagine, unless he purposely
sought refuge among the Indians after his
wild flight that night in the forest; but unquestionably
the two have found themselves congenial souls
in deeds of darkness.”
“But is it not strange the Indians have not made
him a close prisoner?”
“Not if he voluntarily fled to them for protection,
claiming to be an Englishman and hating their foes—
which, through the decoy acting as interpreter, he
could readily make them understand. The red man
has his policy as well as the white, and seldom fails
to encourage, by kind treatment and even promotion,
desertions to himself from his enemies—for
these, to a certain extent, weaken the latter, and
materially aid him in getting his revenge.”
“And after all, it seems his shrieking pursuer—
the dread Demon or Phantom—did not destroy him,
as the scouts were fain to believe!”
“No, would to Heaven it had! or that I had kept
my first purpose and sent a ball through him!”
“Better for your future peace of mind, Henry,
that you did not!” rejoined Isaline. “I hold that
we have no right to take human life except in self-defence;
and though he treacherously fired at you,
yet after the ball had missed its mark you were no
longer in deadly peril from him.”
“Not then, perhaps, but I may be now, or hereafter;
and what is more, dear Isaline, you may be
-- 193 --
[figure description] Page 193.[end figure description]
also!” said Henry, in a tone that showed he was far
from being satisfied with matters as they were.
While thus conversing, the young artist had not
been unmindful of his design of landing in that
wild retreat; and having now floated under a tree
that he fancied would best serve his purpose, he
reached up, took hold of a limb, and drew the log
in to the shore.
“Up in these branches, dear Isaline,” he said, “I
think we can rest in safety; and, if possible, I wish
you to climb into them without touching a foot on
land, that there may be no mark left below to betray
us in case the Indians should come down through
here searching for us.”
With some assistance from him, Isaline succeeded
in gaining the body of the tree, and the next minute
Henry was himself by her side. It did seem to
them then, as they looked upon the matted leaves
below them, with scarcely a spot where their sight
could penetrate through the foliage and rank vegetation
to the earth beneath, that they had at last
reached a place of absolute safety for whatever time
they might choose to remain there. Of course their
clothes were wet through and clinging to them in a
manner not the most pleasant; but fortunately the
air was warm and would not chill them, and they
were too grateful for their deliverance, and had too
much matter for serious consideration, to bestow
even a thought upon such trifles.
Henry now examined his powder-horn, and found
-- 194 --
[figure description] Page 194.[end figure description]
to his satisfaction that the contents were perfectly
dry. He next unfastened his rifle and examined
that. It had been submerged so long that the
powder in the pan, and probably that in the barrel
also, was soaked through, and all about it was still
dripping wet.
“I shall have trouble in getting out this charge,”
he said.
He proceeded to wipe the lock, and clean out the
wet powder from the pan and fill it with dry.
“Perhaps by flashing this off, a few times,” he
again remarked, as if rather thinking aloud than
addressing his companion, “the powder inside will
become dry enough to take fire and drive out the
ball.”
“Will it be prudent to try the experiment now?”
anxiously inquired Isaline. “If it should go off,
will it not make a report loud enough to be heard
by our enemies in case they are in the vicinity?”
“It certainly would not be prudent to fire off the
piece now,” replied Henry; “but there can be no
harm in flashing the powder in the pan a few times,
which will tend to dry the other and be so much
time saved.”
He snapped the piece as he spoke, and there
followed a bright flash and a light smoke. He
immediately repeated the experiment, with the same
result. He tried it the third time, and, to his great
surprise and even consternation, the charge within,
-- 195 --
[figure description] Page 195.[end figure description]
after hanging fire a short time, went off with a loud
report.
“God have mercy on us!” gasped Isaline.
“Fool! dolt! blockhead!” were the terms of angry
reproach that Henry applied to himself: “how long
must I live in the wilderness, surrounded by the
most deadly perils, to learn ordinary prudence!
The powder could not have been as wet as I supposed.
I do not think the report was heard by our
enemies,” he added, after listening for a few minutes
and glancing sharply around him; “but no thanks
to me, who deserve punishment for my folly! If
kind Heaven favors our escape this time, it will be a
lesson to me for the future!”
He braced himself among the limbs, and immediately
began to wipe out and reload his weapon;
but Isaline remained motionless and silent, with one
hand pressed upon her heart, and her sweet features
pale and anxious.
For the next few minutes not another word was
spokn even in a whisper. Henry finished reloading
his rifle, and then kept his eyes anxiously
moving from point to point among the thick leaves
of the covert. It was little he could see, where
branches, vines and bushes were so woven in together
that the noon-day sun rarely penetrated to the teeming
earth.
At length, in looking around, he casually glanced
at the face of Isaline, and fairly started at beholding
the expression of horror which the features
-- 196 --
[figure description] Page 196.[end figure description]
displayed. The eyes, bent downward, were strained
open and glaring, the lips were apart, the nostrils
compressed, and every lineament was rigidly fixed
and ghastly. She seemed to be gazing at some
frightful object, and to be fairly petrified with fear;
and instantly looking for the cause of her terror,
Henry felt his own blood run cold and his hair rise
as he caught a glimpse of a half-naked savage stealing
along through the thick bushes on the very
edge of the stream, with a motion so guarded as
not to make a noise equal to the rustling of a leaf.
The Indian came up directly under the tree in
which our friends were concealed, and then stopped,
apparently attracted by the appearance of the log
on which the fugitives had come ashore. Then his
sharp, black eyes were thrown around in quick,
searching glances, and were suddenly lifted to the
limb which Henry had first taken hold of to pull
the log in, and from which a twig or two and some
leaves had been broken and dropped on the bushes
below and into the edge of the water. The next
moment his basilisk eyes were searching the body
of the tree; and Henry mentally groaned at the
thought that now all hope was over, and possibly because
of his own imprudence—for had his rifle not
been discharged, the keen eyes of this savage might
not have been so specially directed to his present
place of concealment, and his foes might have gone
on and missed him.
So quick and searching were the glances of the
-- 197 --
[figure description] Page 197.[end figure description]
Indian below, that not more than twenty or thirty
seconds elapsed, from the moment when he stopped
under the tree, before he gave the triumphant yell,
or halloo, of discovery.
Loud and shrill the startling sound rung out upon
the still air, and went echoing through the wood,
only to be instantly taken up and repeated several
times from two or three different quarters; and,
mingling with these horrible screeches, came also
the distinctive shouts of the white renegades.
Henry felt that now indeed his last faint hope had
expired, and instantly turned his despairing gaze
upon his sweet and silent companion. It was just
in time, for poor Isaline had already fainted and was
in the act of falling, and it required a quick and
vigorous exertion on his part to keep her senseless
form from dropping down to the feet of the exultant
savage below.
-- 198 -- p473-203
CHAPTER XV. THE RENEGADE AND HIS FRIENDS.
[figure description] Page 198.[end figure description]
In the course of two or three minutes the whole
number of the savages and their white companions
had gathered around the foot of the tree in whose
branches Henry yet remained supporting the still
unconscious Isaline.
“Poor girl!” he sighed, thinking solely of her and
not of himself; “would to Heaven I could deliver
you by the sacrifice of my own poor life! Alas!
alas! alas!”
“So, then, my chivalrous gentleman, we have got
you at last, have we?” said the voice of Hampton,
in a tone of undisguised triumph. “I took a solemn
oath, that sooner or later I would have possession of
you both, and I have not sworn in vain. A pretty
business you have made of it, sneaking round
through the woods with a lady who had a good reputation
before you knew her; but fortunately, as I
view it, unfortunately, as you may, you have had
your sport out, have run the length of your tether,
and will now have to take the consequences! Come,
down with you, and show yourself, and not keep
gentlemen waiting!”
“Yes,” joined in the decoy, with a malignant
-- 199 --
[figure description] Page 199.[end figure description]
laugh, “I once had the pleasure of waiting your
slow motions on the Ohio, but don't much like the
idea of doing so here.”
“Him steal Methoto gun!” said the white savage,
gnashing his teeth with rage.
The Indians gave a few short yells of triumph.
“Come, down with you!” repeated Hampton.
Thus far Henry had not spoken a word, but, with
tender solicitude, had remained in the tree, supporting
the inanimate form of his unconscious companion,
and wishing from the very depths of his heart
she might never unclose her eyes to the dreadful
misery that had come upon her. What his feelings
were in those awful moments—the intensity of his
anguish—may never be revealed; but there was
little of self in his consideration: his whole soul
was centered upon poor Isaline—the innocent lamb
among a pack of ravenous wolves.
“Charles Hampton,” he said at length, in a calm,
firm, dispassionate tone, “I ask nothing for myself,
but everything for one for whom you have professed
regard. Do with me what you will; but, in the
name of that God before whose awful Bar you must
sooner or later appear, I charge you to do no wrong
to this sweet lady, who has never wronged you by
so much as a word! You at least were born in a
Christian land, have mingled with the intelligent
and refined, and have laid claim to the title of a
gentleman; and though you have, for a purpose of
your own, stooped from your high estate to consort
-- 200 --
[figure description] Page 200.[end figure description]
with the barbarians of the wilderness, I cannot think
you so lost to all feelings of honor and humanity as
to have yet become a devil incarnate, and nothing
less would harm this innocent young lady, who now
rests in my arms with the unconsciousness of one
no longer having existence.”
“You need not waste your valuable time in
delivering a very stupid homily!” sneered Hampton.
“I think I still have wit enough left to manage
my own affairs, and whenever I shall really stand in
need of your advice I shall be sure to let you know.
As to the young lady and myself, we will settle our
own affairs in our own way, and hereafter I shall
take care that you do not interfere with my plans.
If I have stooped from my high estate, as you are
pleased to observe, to consort with the savage friends
and allies of my country. I beg you will consider
who drove me to the desperate act by the most
villainous treatment that an honorable gentleman
ever received. But come! the Indians here are
getting impatient at your delay in joining them; and
if you remain up there much longer, you will probably
be invited down by a tomahawk or riflebullet.
How is it, Miss Isaline, that I have no
pleasant word from you? Do you disdain a kindly
greeting to an old friend?”
“Have I not told you that she is unconscious?”
said Henry.
“Oh, I did not comprehend you!” returned Hampton.
“She has fainted then?”
-- 201 --
[figure description] Page 201.[end figure description]
“Yes.”
“Then why keep her up there, instead of handing
her down to her friends and having something done
for her?”
“Would to Heaven she might never be restored
to consciousness again!” said Henry.
“Speak to your Indians, Blodget,” said Hampton,
addressing the decoy, “and explain how matters
stand.”
The other said a few words to the savages in
their native tongue; and they, jerking out their
guttural replies, immediately gathered around in a
close group, directly under Henry and Isaline.
Hampton and the man called Blodget also pressed
up into the ring, and the former said:
“Now let her down to us, and we will take care
that she does not fall.”
Painful as it was for Henry thus to deliver into
the possession of his rival, the fair, sweet being he
loved above all others, there was no alternative; and
with many anxious words of caution, he lowered
her unconscious form as gently as he could, and,
with feelings no language may portray, beheld her
first seized by the rude hands of savages and then
clasped in the arms of his deadly foe. It must be
confessed that Hampton handled her with tender
care; and, gently placing her upon the bank of the
river, soon began to sprinkle water in her face, in
order to revive her.
Meantime Henry leaped down among the savages,
-- 202 --
[figure description] Page 202.[end figure description]
and was immediately laid hold of, with whoops of
triumph. As soon as Methoto could reach him, he
seized and jerked his rifle from his hands, and,
springing back some three or four paces, attempted
to shoot him. In fact he would have done so, but
for Blodget, who knocked the piece up just as he
had it levelled and was in the act of pulling the
trigger. It went off, and the ball passed just over
the head of his intended victim.
“Don't be a fool!” exclaimed the decoy, turning
fiercely upon the white savage. “Do you want to
take his life here now, and spoil all our after sport?”
Then bethinking him that Methoto would better
understand the Indian tongue, he addressed him in
the language of the Shawanoese.
“Oogh!” grunted Methoto, seeming to be well
pleased with the idea; and then he said a few words
to his brother savages, at which they all laughed.
While Hampton kept himself busy in trying to
restore Isaline—and there appeared to have been
some arrangement by which she was to be left solely
in his charge—the Indians began to strip and
plunder Henry, one taking his knife and belt, another
his hunting-frock, a third his hat, and so on,
till in the course of five minutes he had nothing left
to him but his breeches and a part of a torn shirt.
Methoto of course claimed his own powder-horn
and bullet-pouch; and though he would gladly have
had a share of the rest of the things, his dusky
brothers appeared to think he had got enough, and
-- 203 --
[figure description] Page 203.[end figure description]
divided all the plunder among themselves, each
putting on some part of the young man's dress and
strutting around, amid general laughter at each
other.
The savages were naked except the breech-cloth,
leggings and moccasins, though each carried a
blanket thrown carelessly over his shoulders. They
were all armed with rifle, tomahawk and scalping-knife,
and were painted for the war-path—or rather
were hideously daubed with immense blotches of
vermilion, and streaked with white, black, and blue,
put on in a way to make them look most ugly and
frightful. Each had his scalp-lock ornamented with
beads and feathers and standing up stiff above his
otherwise bald head, ready for the grasp of whatever
foeman could get near enough to seize it—a sort of
perpetual challenge and silent braggardism.
Blodget, though evidently long among the Indians
as an associate, agent and trader, was not in
any way disfigured, probably because it might have
injured him as a decoy or spy among the whites,
and his dress too was so much like the borderers in
general as to need no special description. He was
of medium size with sandy hair, lead-colored eyes,
a pug nose, a sensual, vicious mouth, and freckled
skin. He was a mean, sneaking, contemptible
wretch, naturally a great coward, and, as a matter
of course, an overbearing, cruel bully. His age
was apparently not far from thirty.
By the time the savages had finished plundering
-- 204 --
[figure description] Page 204.[end figure description]
Henry, poor Isaline had so far revived as to raise
her head, with a wild stare at Hampton, and ask
where she was.
“With the best friend you have in the world, my
dear Isaline!” replied Hampton, in a low, clear,
almost musical tone.
Isaline gazed into his face with that peculiar,
blinking look of wonder which a person sometimes
exhibits when suddenly roused out of a heavy sleep,
and her pallid features expressed some degree of
mental anguish, mingled with a blank look of incomprehension.
“You are not Henry Colburn?” she said, in a
rather doubting way.
“No,” returned the other, with a sneering smile,
“I rather flatter myself I am not. I am a gentleman,
Miss Holcombe, and your particular friend—
Charles Hampton, at your service.”
“Hampton!” she exclaimed, as if suddenly comprehending
the fearful truth, and glancing around
upon the hideous group of savages. “Oh, my God!
my God! then my horrible dream is true! and I am
in the power of these monsters at last! Oh, where
is my friend and protector, Henry Colburn?”
“Here!” cried the young artist, at once springing
forward.
But he was not permitted to reach her side; for
some three or four savage hands at once seized and
hurled him backward with such force that he fell
to the ground.
-- 205 --
[figure description] Page 205.[end figure description]
Isaline uttered a wild scream.
“Take him away!” cried Hampton, in an angry
tone.
Blodget said a few words to the Indians, only one
or two of whom could even imperfectly understand
English, and they at once gathered around Henry
and dragged him back through the bushes up to
the top of the hill.
“Oh, let me go with him!” cried Isaline, staggering
to her feet and attempting to follow.
“Nay, my dear girl, rather remain here with me!”
said Hampton, twining his arm around her slender
waist and detaining her by gentle force.
“Villain!” cried Isaline; “unhand me and let me
go!”
The thin lips of Hampton compressed, his brow
gathered into a frown, and his black, snaky eyes
shot angry gleams, as he said, in a tone that was
stern and cold:
“Villain is a term that very few have ever applied
to me personally, and I believe they have all suffered
for it, or will before I shall have done with
them.”
“Well, you are a villain!” iterated Isaline, her
brave soul rising up strong under the pressure of
her wrongs; “or else you would never have deserted
your own race, like a coward, and linked yourself
with blood-thirsty savages, to pursue and hunt down
a defenceless girl who never did you a wrong.”
“It is seldom I condescend to an explanation of
-- 206 --
[figure description] Page 206.[end figure description]
my acts,” rejoined Hampton; “but in your case,
Miss Holcombe, I will do so, because I see you are
excited and laboring under a serious mistake, and I
really have a desire to stand well in your regard.
I did not quit my own race intentionally, to throw
myself among the savages and hunt you down, as
you have so cruelly asserted; but accident threw me
among a party of Indians who were already on their
way to attack and destroy our whole train; and
thinking solely of you, and that in no other way
could I possibly save you, I dissembled to them,
and pretended that, because of wanting revenge, I
was delighted with their plan, and would go with
them and give them all the aid in my power, stipulating
only that I was to have one prisoner spared
to me, which I scarcely need tell you was your own
sweet self, for what would the world be to me without
the presence of one I so madly love?”
“Stop!” said Isaline, with any angry flush; “such
language is not suited to the time, place and circumstances.”
Then looking at him for a few
moments, with a steady, unquailing eye, she added:
“Was it really for the purpose of saving my life
and restoring me to my friends that you joined the
Indians?”
“I assure you it was, on my honor as a gentleman!”
“And were the Indians in sufficient force to attack
the whole train?”
-- 207 --
[figure description] Page 207.[end figure description]
“Yes, they numbered not less than fifty able warriors.”
“Is that number here present?”
“No, there are only six here, and two white men
besides myself.”
“How comes it then that you and these have
separated from the others?”
“Especially to follow you.”
“In order to save me?”
“Yes, to save you from being lost in the wilderness,
or falling into worse hands.”
“And how did you discover that I had separated
from the train?”
“By accident,” replied Hampton, seeming eager
to enter into a satisfactory explanation. “We were
all pursuing the train, and had almost come up with
it, when we were overtaken by the tempest and laid
by in the wood, fortunately just the other side of the
track of the tornado. While at that place, waiting
for the storm to pass over, a couple of Indians, who
had been out hunting and scouting, came in, and one
of them showed me a small piece of calico, which he
had found hanging to a bramble, and which I at
once recognized as a part of your dress. That you
may be certain I am telling you the truth,” said
Hampton, “I will show it to you, for I have
treasured it as something sacred;” and he at once
produced and held up the article before the astonished
eyes of Isaline.
It was indeed a piece of her dress, about half as
-- 208 --
[figure description] Page 208.[end figure description]
large as the palm of her hand, which had been torn
from near the bottom of her skirt.
“As soon as I saw this,” pursued the artful villain,
“I arranged with a friend of mine and six of the
Indians to follow you, for you were all that concerned
me in this unpleasant affair, most of the
others having treated me in a manner to excite a
spirit of enmity, so that I did not care what became
of them. We hurried to the spot where the piece
of dress had been found, and there discovered, what
the Indian scouts had before mentioned, that the
trail of yourself and companion was connected with
the trail of two horses; but why you were afoot and
the horses preceding you, in such an out-of-the-way
place, I could not understand till I came to the
point where you had stopped and turned off to go
back; and then I conjectured that you had first ridden
away from the train, that the horses had subsequently
got away from you, and that you had
followed them as far as you had thought prudent
and were then endeavoring to make your way back
to your companions on foot. Was I right?”
“Yes,” replied Isaline.
“Well,” pursued Hampton, “we hurried along on
your backward trail, a very clear one in the wet
earth, I being anxious to overtake you before any
harm could come to you, and at length found where
you had retraced your own steps and turned off
into a mass of fallen timbers; and then the Indians
stopped and hallooed, judging from the signs that we
-- 209 --
[figure description] Page 209.[end figure description]
were close upon you. Was such the fact? did you
hear us?”
“Yes,” answered Isaline.
“Well, as you know, we did not overtake you yesterday,
greatly to my disappointment, for I was
much afraid you would suffer last night. We found
where you had broken your trail in the water, which
showed the sagacious experience of your guide; but
night fell upon us before we could discover the new
one, and we were obliged to encamp and give up
the pursuit for the time. At the first streak of day
I roused up all the Indians, and we made an eager
search, and fortunately discovered your new trail
by the time it was fairly light. We followed it
rapidly, but found it zig-zag, winding, twisting, and
turning, as if you had been in great uncertainty
about your proper course. It finally led, as you of
course know, to a miserable hut on the bank of the
Licking, where we found a white man, who had been
brought up among the Indians, and who was in a
terrible rage, because, as he said, he had discovered
and brought you into his dwelling, and given you
hospitable entertainment, and you had this morning
repaid him, or rather your companion had, by getting
possession of his rifle, on pretence of wanting to
shoot a bird, and then had run off, threatening to
shoot him if he followed.”
“That was done in self-defence,” explained Isaline,
“for he was preparing to kill my companion, in order
to get possession of myself.”
-- 210 --
[figure description] Page 210.[end figure description]
“The villain!” exclaimed Hampton, with righteous
indignation; “only let him dare to put a hand on you
now! Do not fear any more, sweet lady! henceforth
you are under my protection!”
Isaline shuddered, for she felt it was the lamb
under the protection of the wolf.
“Well, as I have said,” Hampton went on, “this
fellow was in a terrible rage, and hurriedly told the
Indians his whole story and then declared his intention,
not only of joining in the pursuit, but of joining
them altogether and returning with them to his
old home. We followed you to the spot where you
had again broken your trail, and which I must
admit was so artfully done that we were on the
point of giving up the search, when one of the Indians
discovered that you had been on the little
island, and must of course have left it by jumping
into the river, as your still dripping garments certainly
prove you did. Then I confess I was more
alarmed than ever, fearing you were drowned. We
immediately began a search along down the bank of
the stream, which I am happy to say has resulted in
complete success. I am sorry to find you have been
unnecessarily alarmed, though of course you could
not know that instead of an enemy you were being
followed by your best friend. Even here we might
have failed of our object but for the Providential
discharge of your companion's rifle, which led us
directly to the spot.”
-- 211 --
[figure description] Page 211.[end figure description]
Isaline groaned in spirit at the recollection of that
most imprudent, not to say fatal, act.
“And now?” said Isaline, looking straight into
Hampton's eye, with a kind of trembling eagerness:
“what do you intend to do with me now that you
have me in your power?”
“Protect and treasure you as a gem of which the
world does not produce a counterpart!” returned
the other, with an enthusiastic glow. “Come, now
that you know all, sweet lady, will you not recall that
odious word villain, which you applied to me in the
heat of passionate excitement?”
Isaline was on the point of giving an indignant
and scornful rejoinder, but suddenly bethought her
it could do no good and might do much harm, she
being so completely in his power. Would it not be
policy for her to dissemble a little—to play a part—
and thus as it were use the only weapon she had
for self-defence? Perhaps, by affecting to believe
the villian, and appearing to become in a degree reconciled
to her situation, she might obtain over him
an influence that she could use to her own advantage,
and possibly to the advantage of Henry Colburn,
who might otherwise have no friendly aid. She
pondered for a few moments, rapidly taking all these
matters into consideration, but apparently weighing
only what the other had said, and then replied, as if
with an altered view, though still with a lingering
doubt:
“If all you tell me is true, Mr. Hampton, I will
-- 212 --
[figure description] Page 212.[end figure description]
not maintain that I was justified in using the language
I did.”
“All is true that I have told you, dear lady, on
my honor as a gentleman!” he eagerly returned,
with a glow of satisfaction. “Had I really been the
villain you supposed, should I not have used my
present power to resent the insult, instead of taking
so much pains to convince you of your mistake?”
“Perhaps you would,” she replied in a manner to
convey the idea of regret for her hasty expression.
“You see, Miss Isaline,” he rejoined with what
he intended to be a winning smile, “it is my proudest
ambition to stand high in your regard, and this very
fact unfortunately has been the leading cause of all
my troubles. You must have seen, you must have
known, dear lady, that I have long loved you, even
to idolatrous worship; and when I fancied there was
another a mere adventurer as I may say; coming
between you and me, I became as one insane, and
not only said, but did, some rash and perhaps unjustifiable
things.”
“Among which,” returned Isaline, effectually concealing,
by her determined will, a shudder of disgust,
“was the running away from me and leaving
me to suppose you dead.”
“I was forced into that act, my dear Isaline, by
the rough enemies who surrounded me and a combination
of other circumstances. As probably you
know, I was actually compelled to go out into the
dark wood, on that dark night, ostensibly to fight a
-- 213 --
[figure description] Page 213.[end figure description]
duel with Colburn, but in reality to be murdered;
and but for the fact that we were interrupted in a
most mysterious and fearful manner, I am certain
I should not be living now.”
“I have heard something of it,” said Isaline, “and
was led to fear you had been destroyed. What was
it that followed you? and how did you escape? and
why did you not return to the boat?”
“What it was that followed me,” answered Hampton,
glancing quickly around him, as if he feared it
still, “I do not know; but it was something frightful,
and I confess I was scared, as were all the others
who heard it. I escaped, I suppose, by running
away from it—for after a time I found myself alone
in the depths of the forest. After what had happened,
I did not care to return to the boat, to meet
with new insults, not to say downright brutality;
but I could not if I had wished, for I had got lost
in the wood, and was compelled to wander around
alone, living as best I could, till I finally fell in with
the Indians, who have proved better friends to me
than their white foes.”
In part the whole statement of Hampton was true
and in part false; for, in fact, toward evening of the
next day after the intended duel, he had reached
the Kentucky side of the Ohio river ahead of the
boats, which had happened at the moment to be
coming around the bend above; and he had seated
himself on a log there to wait for them, intending to
hail them, when, to his surprise, he had heard them
-- 214 --
[figure description] Page 214.[end figure description]
hailed from the other shore, and had really been a
witness of the exciting scene described in a former
chapter. This event had then changed his whole
purpose, and had led to his wicked design of joining
the Indians and inciting them to make an incursion
into Kentucky, that he might revenge himself on
the scouts and obtain possession of Isaline, for a
reason yet to be shown. Knowing enough of the
Indian character to believe they would receive a
deserter in a friendly manner, he had gone up to a
point opposite to the place where the decoy had
appeared, and there, by shouting and showing himself,
had attracted the attention of the savages; and
then, in sight of them, had actually plunged into the
water and attempted to swim across the river. As
they were provided with a few canoes, which they
had not attempted to use against the voyagers, they
sent one to meet him. Once among them, with
Blodget acting as interpreter, he had managed to
accomplish his vile purpose of inciting them to follow
the voyagers, by assuring them the latter were
mostly women and children, and that an easy victory,
a terrible revenge, and much valuable booty would
be their reward. At first the Indians had thought
their party too few for the venture; but having been
subsequently joined by some thirty fresh warriors,
eager to distinguish themselves, they had crossed
the Ohio in the night, in canoes, a few at a time, and
had since been aiming to keep back out of sight and
-- 215 --
[figure description] Page 215.[end figure description]
come up with their intended victims in the vicinity
of the Blue Licks.
These facts, it will be seen, agree with the language
used by Hampton while Henry was supporting
the unconscious Isaline; but as she had heard
nothing of that, he felt he could say what he pleased
to her without fear of any contradictory statement
being pointed out.
“Did I understand you to say the Indians were
some fifty in number and intended attacking the
train?” inquired Isaline, with an anxious look.
“Yes,” he replied; “and doubtless ere this the
whole number of whites are either killed or prisoners;
so that you may be thankful, as I am, that you are
not among them.”
At this moment there rung out a fierce cry from
some one of the party who had carried off Henry,
followed by loud, savage laughter; and fearing, she
knew not what, Isaline involuntarily clasped her
hands, turned more deadly pale, shuddered, and
grew sick at heart.
-- 216 -- p473-221
CHAPTER XVI. CAPTORS AND CAPTIVES.
[figure description] Page 216.[end figure description]
“I think our friends are having a little sport up
yonder,” said Hampton, glancing up the hill: “suppose
we go up and join them and see what it is!”
“Oh, yes,” returned Isaline, starting forward
with an eagerness that too clearly betrayed her feelings.
Hampton was instantly by her side, but an angry
frown was on his brow.
“One might almost fancy you were anxious to get
away from me!” he said.
Isaline saw at once the mistake she had made, and
the tell tale blood sprung into her cheeks, as she
rejoined:
“I am anxious to see what is taking place.”
“I suppose there is one there who interests you
more than myself!” said the other, watching her
closely.
“I will not deny, Mr. Hampton,” returned Isaline,
frankly, “that I take a great interest in Henry Colburn;
and I could not do otherwise without being
ungrateful; for he has not only been very kind to
me, but has perilled his life to save mine.”
“Yes, first got you into difficulty and then tried
-- 217 --
[figure description] Page 217.[end figure description]
to get you out—wonderful magnanimity!” sneered
the other.
“It was my fault that I turned off from the train,”
said Isaline quietly.
“Of course—I understand—he is always right in
your eyes—a paragon of excellence!”
To this Isaline made no reply, feeling that nothing
she could say would tend to make matters any
better.
“I must get rid of that fellow!” was the dark
thought now uppermost in the mind of Hampton.
Nothing more was said till they reached the top
of the hill, where Isaline was pained beyond measure
at seeing Henry, with a face red and swollen, as if
from blows, bound to a sapling, with his arms
tightly corded behind his back, and the Indians and
the white men standing together in a group, a short
distance from him, evidently holding a serious consultation.
“What is it, Blodget?” asked Hampton, as he
drew near.
The latter turned around, and showed a bloody,
swollen nose, and an eye nearly closed.
“See where the — scoundrel struck me!” he
said, gnashing his teeth.
“Oogh! him down go!” grinned Methoto.
“Did he really knock you down?” inquired
Hampton, in a condoling tone, but scarcely able
to repress a smile at the doleful appearance of the
decoy.
-- 218 --
[figure description] Page 218.[end figure description]
“He struck me, my foot slipped, and I fell!” replied
Blodget, not caring to admit what might have
seemed to compliment too highly the strength and
skill of his adversary.
“And that is what the Indians were laughing
at!”
“Yes!” snapped Blodget.
“But what caused him to strike you?”
“Oh, just a little playful joke of mine! I was just
feeling his arms, and telling him how nice they'd
crackle when he'd come to be burnt at the stake—
that's all!”
“It is strange he should have got angry at a
little innocent fun like that,” smiled Hampton,
“and I am surprised you didn't punish him on the
spot!”
“I'd have killed him,” returned Blodget, fiercely,
“only the Indians wouldn't let me; but I pummeled
his face to my satisfaction!”
Isaline, who heard all this, groaned in spirit; but
she made no remark, feeling how useless were mere
words with such villains.
The savages, who were evidently holding an
important consultation when thus interrupted, waited
patiently till Blodget had finished his conversation
with Hampton, and then said something to him in
their own language, to which he replied, and immediately
gave his whole attention to them. After
this, not many words were exchanged, for they all
appeared to be of one mind; and the matter, which
-- 219 --
[figure description] Page 219.[end figure description]
evidently related to their next movements, was soon
settled. They then released Henry from the tree,
but kept his arms corded, and, forming themselves
in single file, placed him in the centre, with Blodget
close behind him and Methoto next, leaving Hampton
to bring up the rear with his prisoner, or follow
in what manner he might choose.
“Look'e here,” said Blodget to Colburn, with the
spiteful malice of a brutal wretch, “I don't owe you
any good will, as you know, and some day I'll make
you feel it! What I want of you now is, to mind
and keep the file, or I'll just rap you over the head;
and if you attempt to run, or dodge one side, I'll
send a bullet through your back! Do you understand?”
“I understand!” replied Henry, quietly.
“And this to show you I'm in earnest!” added the
cowardly villain, giving the other a rousing box on
the ear.
Henry started, with a fierce strain on the cords
that confined his wrists together behind him; but
finding himself powerless to act, he immediately
became very quiet; and the hot blood, which had
sprung to his face, suddenly retreated and left it
very pale.
“Oh, sir, can you permit such cruelty to a bound
and unarmed prisoner?” said Isaline, almost convulsively
clutching the arm of Hampton, and turning
her white face pleadingly to his.
“I have no power over him; he is not my
-- 220 --
[figure description] Page 220.[end figure description]
prisoner; my stipulation only extended to your own
sweet self!” coolly replied Hampton.
“But you certainly have some influence with that
man, and the Indians also, and you should use it for
humanity's sake!”
“You mistake the extent of my influence, my
dear girl, which, as I have already told you, only
reaches to yourself,” he quietly answered. “If I
were to attempt to interfere with them, in their
affairs, I should open the door for them to do the
same in mine, and that might some time be the
worse for you.”
“And what are you going to do with me?” inquired
the poor girl, making a great struggle with
herself to appear calm and composed: “where are
you taking me to now?”
“I do not exactly know what the Indians have
decided on; but I judge they intend striking off
across the country, with the view of joining the main
body.”
“And are you going to keep with them?”
“Why, where else should I go?”
“I thought you were at liberty to separate from
them!”
“Hardly that, I think!” answered Hampton; “and
if I were, where should I go?”
Isaline shuddered and turned deadly pale. The
horrible truth was dawning upon her. Hitherto,
seeing Hampton and herself with so much freedom,
she had not exactly felt herself a prisoner, except to
-- 221 --
[figure description] Page 221.[end figure description]
him, and had contemplated for herself nothing more
annoying and fearful than a solitary journey with
him, instead of Henry, through the wilderness, to
her father's home; but now she became truly alarmed,
for his language led to the conviction that he intended
going with the savages back into their own
country.
“Surely, Mr. Hampton,” she said, with trembling
eagerness, “you will take me to some place—some
station—where I can be sent forward to my father?”
“Why, as to that,” he coolly replied, “I think not,
under the circumstances. In fact it would hardly
be prudent for me at present to put myself in the
power of your rough Kentuckians, who have a very
unpleasant fashion of shooting or hanging any man
they don't happen to fancy. Besides, I have risked
everything to get possession of you—whom, I am
sure, your father don't love with half the devotion
I do—and to part with you now, and lose you forever,
would render me perfectly miserable.”
“Oh, my God!” groaned Isaline, clasping her
hands; “am I really to be carried off among the
Indians?”
“Why, that is nothing, my dear girl; they will
not harm you; you see how friendly they are to us
now, leaving us to do as we please; and besides,
you must not forget that, wherever you go, I shall
be with you—the true friend you have so long
known—the man who, though I say it myself, loves
you above all others!”
-- 222 --
[figure description] Page 222.[end figure description]
It was too much for poor Isaline; in spite of herself,
nature would have its way; and suddenly
covering her face with her hands, she burst into
tears.
Charles Hampton did not chide her rudely; he
continued the outward seeming of a gentleman; and
he offered her a mock consolation, which was more
difficult for her to bear up under than the sharpest
words of displeasure would have been. For several
minutes she cried and sobbed as if her heart would
break; but at length her tears ceased to flow, and
she gradually became calm again, at least in external
appearance. After this a deadly pallor settled
upon her beautiful features, which became rigid and
marble-like, and she moved on steadily and uncomplainingly,
asking no questions, making no remarks,
seemingly undisturbed by any occurrence, and only
speaking when so pointedly addressed that she
could not well evade a brief answer.
The day was clear and warm, but not uncomfortable
for travelling, and the Indians pushed
forward at a brisk walk, in single file, evidently
aiming to strike the great buffalo trace by a line
nearly due east. In a little over an hour they
reached it, and then all examined it eagerly for such
signs as would give them information concerning
their friends and decide their own course. They
appeared to be rather disappointed—for, instead of
yells of triumph, they soon collected together for
-- 223 --
[figure description] Page 223.[end figure description]
consultation, and spoke eagerly and gesticulated
rapidly, often pointing in the direction of the ford.
“Well, Blodget, what is it? what do they make
out?” asked Hampton, as soon as he could get an
opportunity to call the decoy aside.
“Why, it seems the whites and Indians both have
passed here, going toward the Blue Licks,” was the
reply; “but there are no signs that the latter have
returned, and it's feared the warriors didn't get up
in season to attack them before they crossed the
river.”
“I am sorry for that,” said Hampton. “Surely
they had time enough after we left them, for the
train was only a short distance ahead.”
“I'm afraid they waited too long for the storm to
pass over, while the others maybe pushed on, and
perhaps crossed the river before the water got too
high.”
“A curse on the storm!” snarled Hampton; “and,
saving your presence, a curse on their laziness! If
they had attended to their business, as we did to ours,
they would have had them all before this! You are
sure they have passed this way?”
“Look for yourself! Don't you see the moccasin
tracks?”
“But the whites wore moccasins too!”
“You don't know much about wilderness life,”
returned Blodget, with a rather contemptuous smile,
“if you can't tell these tracks were left by Indian
feet, and after the storm had nigh gone over too!
-- 224 --
[figure description] Page 224.[end figure description]
Look at the horse tracks—they're nearly all washed
out, while the moccasin prints are a good deal
plainer.”
“I can see the difference now,” rejoined Hampton;
“but, according to your showing, both must
have gone over this ground while it was still raining,
though the last some time later than the first.”
“Yes, now you've got it,” said Blodget.
“But you are sure they have not returned?”
“Not by here, anyhow. There, see! the Indians
are separating now, to strike off on either side and
hunt for other signs!”
As he spoke, the savages indeed flew off in different
directions from the beaten route, and were
soon lost among the trees and bushes, Methoto also
joining them, leaving only Blodget and Hampton
with the two prisoners. Had Henry's arms then
been free, he would have bounded away, at the risk
of being shot down; but as it was, he leaned his
back against a tree, and remained as passive as the
most ordinary spectator, saying nothing, and apparently
taking little or no interest in what was going
on. Blodget kept his eye on him in a suspicious
manner, and his rifle in his hands, ready for an
instant shot, in case he should make the slightest
attempt at escape. That there might be no mistake
about it, he growled out:
“If you want to run, you young whelp, you can
try it; but I tell you now I'm dead sure for a
-- 225 --
[figure description] Page 225.[end figure description]
hundred yards, and I only want a good excuse for
sending a bullet through your cursed head!”
Henry apparently took no notice of this threat,
and kept perfectly silent. He did not even look at
poor Isaline—who, for some time, stood like a
marble statue, only a few paces from him—and she
in turn scarcely glanced at him. The last two hours
seemed to have worked a wonderful change in both.
At length, as if she felt the fatigue of standing,
Isaline stepped back to a stone, seated herself upon
it, buried her face in her hands, and remained perfectly
quiet.
“She gets along very well, all things considered!”
said Hampton, nodding toward his victim.
“A right sensible girl!” responded Blodget. “I
wouldn't mind if I had her myself; for I want a
good wife; and somehow, you see, I suppose it's
nature, I prefer a white one to a squaw.”
“And have you no wife?” asked Hampton.
“Oh, yes, a couple of squaws; but they're too
coarse and vulgar for me, and I've determined on
picking up a white one somewhere.”
“How long have you been with the Indians?”
“Well, I've been among them, off and on—trader,
agent, and so on—about ten or twelve years; but for
the last five I've lived with them straight along.”
“Of course you have a good deal of influence
with them?”
“Some, I flatter myself.”
“Well, I hope you will see that they make sure
-- 226 --
[figure description] Page 226.[end figure description]
work of that fellow yonder!” said Hampton, with a
meaning smile. “That girl loves him, I am certain,
and of course he stands in my way; but if I were to
do anything to him, and she were to find it out, it
might set her too much against me. Not but that I
could bend her to my will,” added Hampton, as if
he thought the matter needed some explanation;
“but brute force, in these love affairs, you know, is
not exactly the thing one likes most to try.”
“Oh, I understand!” smiled the other villain; “it's
all right. Well, don't you have any fear, Hampton!
I'll see him settled, if only to pay off my own score.
I'd like to take his heart's blood now!” he pursued,
with a wicked gleam of his leaden eyes; “but I
know, if we keep him, he'll be put to the tortures,
and so I'll try to keep myself down till then.”
These two villains stood conversing together till
the Indians returned, dropping in one after another;
and then another consultation was held, which resulted
in a positive decision.
“What is it?” again asked Hampton of Blodget.
“They're satisfied their friends haven't returned
this way,” replied the latter, “and they're for going
on to overtake them.”
“What! further into the heart of the country?”
exclaimed Hampton. “I do not like that—I am
afraid we shall get into trouble! If we cross the
Licking, and the country over there gets roused, it
will not be the easiest thing for us to escape!”
-- 227 --
[figure description] Page 227.[end figure description]
“Oh, we've nothing to fear, with nearly fifty Indians
ahead of us!” laughed Blodget.
“I don't know that; these border fellows are
perfect devils when their blood is up!”
“Well, the Indians are going forward, so there's
no use in talking!” said Blodget. “See! they're
already forming their file; so fall in! fall in!”
Henry quietly took his place in the file as before;
but Isaline seemed not aware of what was going on
till Hampton touched her on the shoulder. Then
she slowly lifted her white, marble-like face, and
arose without a word.
“You have become wonderfully quiet all at once!”
said Hampton, as he walked along by her side.
Isaline made no answer.
“Why don't you speak?” he said, rather sharply.
“You did not ask me a question!”
“Oh, then you are only to speak when I ask you
a question, eh?”
“I would rather not speak at all,” returned Isaline,
with a sort of icy calmness; “but I do not like
to refuse to answer you a direct question.”
“I suppose if you had that fellow Colburn here
in my place, it would make a wonderful difference!”
sneered the other. As Isaline made no answer to
this, he shortly added, in a cold, offended tone: “I
beg you will not trouble yourself to address me any
oftener than may suit your ladyship's pleasure and
convenience!”
The Indians went forward at a brisk pace; and
-- 228 --
[figure description] Page 228.[end figure description]
in little more than an hour the whole party reached
the Blue Lick ford—a wild, gloomy place—which
they approached along the bare, rocky ridge, where
the famous battle was fought which resulted so
disastrously to the Kentuckians. Here the Indians
halted, and again looked for signs. They found
what satisfied them that both their friends and enemies
had passed over the river, and they immediately
plunged into the ford and waded across, the water
being now only breast high. Henry, with his wrists
still bound together behind his back, only kept his
feet with great difficulty; and Isaline would have
been carried down the stream but for the support
of Hampton. This was the second time that day
that she had found herself struggling in the waters
of the Licking; and she almost regretted she had
not perished at first—for death with Henry, she felt,
would be far preferable to a life with him who was
now by her side.
On reaching the other bank of the Licking, the
Indians struck off so rapidly through the country,
that Isaline found a good deal of difficulty in keeping
up with them. In something like three miles
from the ford they came to a small clearing and the
smoking ruins of a cabin, which showed that the
foremost party had already begun their work of destruction.
On seeing this, the savages present gave
a few yells of triumph, for to them it was a proof
that their friends were successful, and led them to
believe they had nothing to fear. They made
-- 229 --
[figure description] Page 229.[end figure description]
no halt, being eager to overtake the advance and
share in the victory which they supposed awaited
them.
Hampton did not feel so sanguine. It was evident
to his mind that the whites had made a rapid march,
probably because of some of the scouts having discovered
the foes behind them; and he reasoned that,
in the event of their reaching a station before being
assailed by the savages, matters might soon take a
very different turn from what the latter expected or
wished. He had now with him all he had sought;
and therefore, with everything to lose and nothing
to gain by a further advance into the country, he
was in a mood to be highly displeased with the present
pursuit, and now and then vented an idle curse
on the folly of the savages. This, however, altered
nothing and amounted to nothing—for the Indians
kept steadily on, as unmindful of him and his secret
opinions as if he had not been in existence. At
length, from some cause, perhaps from a premonition
of approaching peril, he suddenly left Isaline and
darted to the side of Blodget.
“Speak to the Indians,” he said, “and tell them
this foolish pursuit is leading them into danger!”
Blodget looked at him with an air of surprise.
“What danger? where?” he asked, glancing
quickly around him.
“I only know this — country from hearsay,”
returned Hampton, with an oath; “but I have been
told there is a fort or station within half-a-day's
-- 230 --
[figure description] Page 230.[end figure description]
journey of the Blue Licks, and you may be sure the
parties we are pursuing have got possession of it
before this time!”
“The more lucky for them, if they have!” replied
the other; “though it don't follow they won't come
out of it, for all that!”
“But don't you see that if we attempt to lay siege
to it, we shall give the borderers time to collect
together and turn on us?”
“No, I don't exactly see it before it's tried,” said
Blodget; “and even if they should, they might get the
worst of it. Stations have been taken before now,
with less numbers than we've got in the country,
and I'm not a bit afraid!”
“If we should happen to be overpowered,” rejoined
Hampton, “it would be all up with us; for
we are already so far into the country that there
would be no hope of our ever getting out of it!”
“Of course, when we set out for revenge, plunder
and glory, we've got to risk something! You yourself
were fierce enough about coming, and through
me urged this very undertaking upon the Indians,
promising them an easy victory and a great amount
of booty!”
“Yes, provided they could overtake the whites
and attack them in the wilderness; and which they
might have done, if they had only pushed on and
struck the blow at the right time!” said Hampton;
“but since they have missed their chance, I think
they had better change their plan.”
-- 231 --
[figure description] Page 231.[end figure description]
“Well, what do you want them to do now?”
“Turn back and secure a safe retreat.”
“Then you'd better hurry up and tell them so!”
rejoined Blodget, with a quizzical look.
“I am not responsible for the main body, since I
am not with them,” pursued Hampton; “but I think
you ought to warn the present party of the probable
danger ahead.”
“Not before I see it myself!” dryly responded the
decoy.
“Then, if anything should happen, I hope you
will remember that I gave you fair warning!” said
Hampton, in a cold, offended tone; and he immediately
fell back to the side of Isaline.
“He's got what he wanted, and now he'd like to
put back!” muttered Blodget; “but he might as
well learn, first as last, that we didn't make this long
journey just to please him!”
The Indians of course understood nothing of this
conversation, and kept steadily hastening forward,
in good spirits, expecting soon to come up with
their friends in advance.
They soon reached a point where it was evident
the train had turned off to the right of the main
route to Lexington, and had been followed by their
pursuers; and, with a few exultant yells, our little
band of savages pushed on without stopping.
During the next three hours they passed the black
and still smoking ruins of three isolated cabins, and
-- 232 --
[figure description] Page 232.[end figure description]
soon after the reports of musketry began to be distinctly
heard.
A quarter of an hour later they ascended, with
great caution, a sharp little knoll, on the edge of a
broad clearing, and beheld a strong block-house on
the opposite side, with a large cornfield stretching
between it and them, and Indians here and there
skulking about, some firing and some yelling. This
was a sight to delight the hearts of the newly-arrived
savages; and they immediately gave two prolonged
scalp halloos, followed by several quick, short yells
of triumph, and heard more than forty voices in
jubilant response, some near and some far, showing
that the stronghold of the whites was completely
surrounded.
-- 233 -- p473-238
CHAPTER XVII. THE REGULAR TRAIN.
[figure description] Page 233.[end figure description]
It will be remembered that when Henry and
Isaline turned aside from the main route to visit the
Indian mound, the train was moving through an
open wood, at a snail-like pace. It kept the same
slow movement, till Rough Tom, glancing westward,
perceived the indications of a gathering tempest,
even though no thunder had yet been heard; and
then, with the rough energy characteristic of the
man, he soon effected a wonderful change in the
motions of both horse and foot.
“Hurry up and hurry on!” he shouted, so as to
be heard the whole length of the line; “for thar's a
storm a coming that'll raise the ford so's we can't
cross for two days, and maybe not for a week!
Whip up the hosses, boys, and put out like a streak
of greased lightning!”
The other scouts, drivers and riders, took the
alarm, and in less than a minute the whole train
was dashing away at as great a speed as the safety
of the goods and loaded animals would permit.
“Whar's your misses?” at length exclaimed Tom,
as he happened to find himself running along side
the horse on which the frightened Priscilla and
-- 234 --
[figure description] Page 234.[end figure description]
Rhoda were uncomfortably seated, and which, by
dint of a good deal of whipping and cursing by one
of the drivers, had been started into a hog canter.
“I-I-Ise doesn't know perzactly,” answered the
old nurse, with her teeth fairly chattering, as she
clung to Rhoda, who in turn clung to the pummel
of the saddle and the horse's mane; “bu-bu-but she's
done gone rid off wi-wi-with Marsa Co-Co-Colbrum,
and Ise got out my ske-ske-skeers on her, I has!”
Tom turned to the next, and put the question concerning
Miss Holcombe, and received an answer
that gave him some definite information. Then he
ripped out about half-a-dozen oaths in succession,
and said, “Whar's the use?” at least three times.
“Jest like him—al'ays arter some—finiky!” he
continued to mutter. “Now I'll bet my head
agin a skunk-cabbage, that he's eyther making love
to that ar gal, or drawing some fool of a pictur', and
won't know thar's a storm a brewing till he gits
knocked over with a chunk of chain lightning!
Woofh! whar's the use? He yar we is now, making
tracks for the ford, and leaving him and the colonel's
darter behind in a way that arn't safe. It won't do—
I've got to go back arter 'em! Ha! thar goes the
thunder; but I spect he won't hear nothing till the
sky falls in and the 'arth shakes him off his feet!
Lord save us!” he added, once more glancing at the
ominous sky; “thar's agwine to be a screecher that'll
make things howl!”
Hurriedly telling one of his companions to push
-- 235 --
[figure description] Page 235.[end figure description]
on with all speed, and cross the ford at once if possible,
Tom turned and started back on a run, intending
to find Henry and Isaline, inform them of what
had been done, and if, as he feared, they should be
too late for getting over the river that day, to remain
with them till they should be able to join their companions.
At this time the train had passed over a
low ridge and was rapidly making its way through
a small thicket of cane; and by the time that Tom, in
going back, had again reached the top of the ridge,
he beheld the tempest driving up from the west in
all its startling fury. He kept on, however, till the
tornado struck the wood before him; and then he
paused and gazed upon the crashing work of destruction,
with feelings of awe if not of terror.
It will be remembered we stated the track of the
tornado to be some half-a-mile wide, and its duration
about half-an-hour, though it continued to rain heavily
till near sunset. Tom had not got back far enough
to be caught in the whirl of the hurricane, though
it was plainly in sight; and when he saw the awful
work of destruction before him, he groaned in spirit
at the thought that perhaps both Henry and Isaline
were beyond earthly aid. Still he felt it his duty
to know; and as soon as he could go forward with
safety, he did.
He went in among the fallen timbers, and was
diligently working his way through them when he
was suddenly startled at hearing Indian voices.
His position at the moment happened to be in a spot
-- 236 --
[figure description] Page 236.[end figure description]
where he was completely concealed by tangled
branches, vines and leaves; and, by carefully creeping
forward some two or three paces, he was enabled
to get a view of three savages in their war-paint,
who were standing upon the fallen trunk of a tree,
conversing in low tones, and gesticulating in a way
to lead the experienced woodman to infer they were
speaking of the train that had passed. They soon
moved off in the direction Tom had been going,
and he pushed on to reconnoitre, but now of course
with all his senses on the alert and using the
greatest caution.
In something less than half an hour he came in
sight of the main body, and counted twenty-five
warriors, with the belief there were many others he
did not see. They had evidently been waiting for
the storm to pass over, but now seemed preparing
to resume their pursuit of the train, and Tom felt
that matters had reached a very critical condition.
Should the whites fail to cross the ford, and the savages
get up and attack them at that place, nothing
he thought could save them, and he now felt it his
duty to return with all possible dispatch.
This, however, was not an easy thing to do; for it
was not unlikely that the Indian scouts were out in
different directions, and he would have to use the
greatest caution to work himself back through the
fallen timbers without being discovered, while the
savages could push right on without fear of molestation.
Fortunately for all concerned, the latter were
-- 237 --
[figure description] Page 237.[end figure description]
slow in their movements, doubtless supposing the
whites would not attempt to cross the ford that day
in the swollen condition of the river, and, by stealing
upon and surprising them after dark, they would
have them at their mercy.
This delay of the savages was the only thing in
fact that saved the whites; for when Tom did finally
get back to them, a little before sunset, he found
them at the ford, but still on the right bank of the
Licking, passively awaiting his return. The news
he brought of course threw them into the greatest
consternation, and some of the women and children
became so frantic with terror that much time
was lost in restoring anything like order and getting
them mounted. It was indeed a wild, exciting
scene; for the water had already risen so much
that the stream could only be crossed by swimming;
and when the mounted travellers were urged into it
on their horses, it seemed to them as if they were
only substituting one death for another. Every
moment it was expected the appalling yells of the
savages would ring in their ears, accompanied by a
shower of bullets; and believing it would be certain
death, or a hopeless captivity for them to remain,
they braved the perils before them as the only alternative.
It was a terrific struggle through the water, accompanied
by many thrilling incidents, hair-breadth
escapes, some screaming, and a good deal of rough
shouting and cursing; but providentially the whole
-- 238 --
[figure description] Page 238.[end figure description]
party reached the other shore, with the horses, goods,
and nearly everything belonging to them.
They had little time, however, to congratulate
themselves on their deliverance from the perils of
the flood, before the savages made their appearance
on the other bank, uttering yells of disappointment
and rage, and firing a volley across, one bullet of
which did fatal execution, by piercing the brain of a
little girl who was seated before her mother on a
horse which was in the act of dashing away. As
nearly every rifle of the scouts had been wet in
crossing the river, they made no attempt to return
the fire of their enemies, but adopted the more prudent
course of leaving the vicinity with all possible
haste.
It was expected the Indians would cross the river
and pursue them, either that night or early in the
morning; and therefore it was all important that
they should push on for some strong-hold without
stopping by the way.
“We'll put for Higgins' Block-house, on the
South Branch of Licking!” decided Tom, who, by
general assent, was the principal head or director
of the party. “It's a bit out of our way; but then
we haint no time jest now to foller a bee line; and I
wants to see these yere women and children inside of
so thing thicker'n a cloth tent afore we sleep. I tell
you now, boys, we've had a heap of tight dodging
for to-day, and I feel like a used up possum. I
knowed it! it all comes of that — Phantom! I
-- 239 --
[figure description] Page 239.[end figure description]
told you how it 'ud be—it's al'ays so. Agh! wagh!
woofh! Whar's the use? Poor Harry and the
colonel's darter—it's all over with them—and I'd
rayther missed ten red-nigger sculps nor had the
thing happed—yes, sir! If they war only with us
now, my sperets would be up a heap; for as to these
yere infarnal Injuns, I don't want no better sport
nor for them to foller us and run thar heads into a
mashing-trap. Ef they comes arter us—and it's jest
as like as not they'll be fools enough to do it, seeing
we've got so many women and children with us, and
sich a heap of plunder—ef they comes arter us, I
say, all them as gits out of old Kaintuck alive may
brag on't!”
“Spose thar'll be force enough at Higginses to
lick 'em?” asked one of the others.
“I don't know what Higgins has got now, but I
know I kin fotch men enough in two days to chaw
up all the painted devils this side of blue blazes!”
“But matters mought git too hot for us in two
days, Tom?”
“I'll say ten hours then for these yere rip-scullion
thieves! How'll that do, hey?”
“Wall, I reckon we kin stand 'em ten hours, ef
the fort's in any kind of trim at all.”
“You know the road all right, don't ye, boys?”
“Yes.”
“Then I'll purty soon guv you the dodge and go
for help.”
At the point where the travellers turned off to
-- 240 --
[figure description] Page 240.[end figure description]
the right of the Lexington route, Rough Tom left
them, himself keeping straight on.
It will be remembered that when Henry and Isaline
passed over the same ground as the main party
the next day, they saw three or four cabins in
smoking ruins; but all the people belonging to these
had escaped—the scouts having given them warning,
as they hurried past, that a large body of
savages were close upon them.
It was well into the night when our travellers,
with loud shouts and cries and an urgent demand
for admittance, dashed up to the gate of Higgins'
Block-house. They were instantly admitted, horses
and all; and then some of the poor, frightened, over-fatigued
women fainted—the strain on their nervous
systems having been too great and too suddenly relaxed.
It is not our purpose to dwell on the scene of wild
confusion and excitement which followed the introduction
of this large number of strangers into so
small a fort, under circumstances so calculated to
alarm the bravest. The garrison was small, and the
fort somewhat out of repair; and so the men immediately
set to work, overhauling their arms, casting
bullets, strengthening the defences, and otherwise
preparing themselves and putting the place in a
proper condition for repelling an assault.
The savages did not reach the fort that night—
for of course they could not follow the trail after
dark—but they came on the next morning,
-- 241 --
[figure description] Page 241.[end figure description]
plundering and burning the deserted cabins on the way.
No extra reinforcement of the garrison had yet
arrived; but the men within were in good spirits
and ready to receive their foes, not doubting they
could hold out till their friends should appear and
turn the siege into a rout.
In fact, though small, Higgins' Block-house, as it
was called, and is still known in history, was a fortification
which, with even a moderate defence, was
not easily to be carried by assault. It consisted of
some six or eight log huts, of two stories in height,
loop-holed for musketry, with the second stories of
each flank projecting over the lower, so that a foe
could not make a lodgment under the walls. These
buildings, joined together in a solid front, were built
on a high, projecting cliff, on the right bank of the
South Licking, which rolled its waters along some
thirty or forty feet below. On only one side could
the place be approached—for the three other sides,
protected by stockades, overlooked the rocky precipice
we have mentioned. A large gate in the centre
of the front wall opened into a hollow square, and was
the only point of entrance and egress for either man
or beast. In front of the fort was a level cornfield,
and surrounding this a heavy wood, with here and
there a small clearing on the different routes leading
to other stations.
It was somewhere about nine o'clock in the morning
that the Indians made their appearance in the
edge of the wood, apparently reconnoitring the
-- 242 --
[figure description] Page 242.[end figure description]
ground, and holding a consultation, to decide
whether to attack so formidable a place, or to turn
off and seek an easy victory in some quarter where
much might be hoped from surprise. That they
came here at all, after the whites having had hours
for preparation, with time enough to send off and
rouse the country in every direction, can only be
reasonably accounted for on the supposition of a
blind infatuation on the part of their leaders. The
probability is, that having set out with great elation,
in anticipation of an easy conquest and immense
reward, they were now determined to dare the worst
and risk all, rather than go back empty handed.
The moment the savages came in sight, they were
discovered by a lookout in the fort, who at once
exclaimed, in a jubilant tone:
“Thar the red niggers is at last! and now look
sharp for fun! I's afeard they wouldn't come.”
“What's Injun sculps wo'th now, Jim?” called out
another: “'cause I spect to hev some to sell.”
“Don't holler so loud,” cried another, “or you'll
skeer the varmints afore we gits a shot! Stand back
thar, Joe, and let me hev a show! I've a long barrelled
chap yere, that I spect kin throw lead amongst'
em, and I wants to try it on that thar tall cuss that
stands in front and looks as ef he mought be a chief.
Jest you watch him, boys, through tother loop-holes,
and tell me what he does arter I fire, for the smoke
yere won't let me see quick enough.”
As he spoke, he thrust a long-barrelled rifle
-- 243 --
[figure description] Page 243.[end figure description]
through-a loop-hole, took a long, steady aim, and
fired.
“Whoop! hurrah!” cried half-a-dozen voices;
“he staggers; and now they've all put back into the
wood out of sight.”
A moment or two after, the savages were heard
yelling like demons.
“Ay ay! that's right—yell away, and be—to
you!” exclaimed the man who had fired. “Only
come on a leetle nearer, and we'll guv you so'thing
more to yell at, you cantankerous thieves!”
A minute or two after, one of the men called out:
“Hello! what's they doing now?”
“It looks like a white rag stuck up on a pole!”
said another.
“Thar! yes! see! they're waving it!”
“A flag of truce!” put in a third; “they're after a
confab. Whar's our cap'en?”
“Here!” said a stout, good-looking man, who had
just come up from below. “What is it, Ike?”
“The Injuns want to say so'thing to us, I reckon,
for they've got a white cloth stuck up on a pole, a
waving this way and t'other.”
“Perhaps they want to surrender!” said the captain,
with a laugh: “we'll give them quarter, eh?”
“Rayther say we'd quarter'em ef we had a chance!”
returned the man.
“Spotswood,” said the captain of the garrison, addressing
one of the men, “take our white flag up to
-- 244 --
[figure description] Page 244.[end figure description]
the roof, and wave it a few times. It's well enough
to know what they've got to say.”
As soon as this was done, some two or three Indians
were seen to leave the wood and approach the
fort through the cornfield. They advanced with
apparent confidence, as if they had perfect faith in
the honor of their foes.
The captain and two or three others went up on
the roof to hold a parley with them.
As soon as they came near enough to be heard,
one of the savages stepped out in front of his two
companions, and, drawing himself up to his full
height, throwing back his head proudly, and tapping
his breast in a dignified and graceful manner, he exclaimed:
“Me big Injun chief!”
“All right,” answered the captain, who, by the
way, was something of a wag; “nobody disputes
you.”
“Me big chief!” repeated the other; “got thousand
brave in wood there!”
“That's a lie, you painted nigger, and you know
it, or you wouldn't be standing there to ask our
permission to come inside!” said the captain, indignantly.
“Wood full Injun brave!” persisted the other.
“That's a lie, I tell you! and if you don't stop
repeating it, we'll lessen your number by three!”
“No lie!” said the Indian, shaking his head.
“Well, what do you want?”
-- 245 --
[figure description] Page 245.[end figure description]
“Injun want come in—shake hand—say how de
do, white brudder?”
“How many want to come in? all the wood full?”
“No—hundred.”
“We hav'n't room for so many; and besides, we
hav'n't time to shake hands with so many.”
“White brudder let red brudder come—shake
hand—Injun smile—laugh—go away—no touch
scalp—no touch hoss—no touch not'ing.”
“You're very kind—we're very much obleeged
to you—but fortunately we're not in need of visitors.”
“White brudder chief let Injun brudder chief
come, hey?”
“We'll let you three come in, if you're very anxious
to put your feet into a smash-trap!” answered
the captain, with a light laugh.
“Spose let hundred Injun come?”
“We'll let them come and try to get in against a
thousand rifles, for we can count as many hundreds
as you can.”
“Injun want shake hand—say how de do?”
“Purty well, thank'e! how's yourself, old scalp-lock?”
called out one of the scouts; and this was
followed by loud, boisterous laughter. “What's
the price of paint, you old devil? and why didn't
you trade off your clothes and buy some?”
The Indian drew himself up with haughty
dignity, and, striking his breast rather angrily, exclaimed:
-- 246 --
[figure description] Page 246.[end figure description]
“Me big chief!”
“Well, go home and wash yourself, you greasy
old skunk! and fix yourself up decent to come
amongst white gintlemen!”
“Injun go fetch hundred—thousand warrior-burn
fort—get heap scalp!” cried the chief, with
angry gestures.
“Travel then, old feathered bluffer, or you'll leave
yourn to start with!” rejoined the scout.
“Go! we're done with you!” said the captain,
waving his hand.
The chief turned away with an air of offended
dignity; and at that moment some one discharged
a rifle—not at the party, in truth, but merely to
alarm them.
It had the desired effect, and instantly all show of
dignity was lost in a ludicrous effort to escape with
life. The three savages, with yells of rage and
alarm, at once bounded, squatted, jumped, dodged,
and ran forward, in a zigzag manner, through the
cornfield, never feeling themselves safe till they had
disappeared in the wood; while the men at the fort
shouted and laughed till the tears ran down their
rough, weather-beaten faces.
For some time after this, nothing more was seen
of the savages, and the scouts began to fear they
had made a hasty retreat, to attack some other place
less prepared for defence.
Along the edge of the bluff, on either side of the
fort, were a few trees and bushes; and from among
these a volley was suddenly poured upon the
-- 247 --
[figure description] Page 247.[end figure description]
block-house, the fire being directed at the loop-holes, and
with such precision of aim that several bullets
entered the buildings, and one man was killed and
two wounded. This changed the laugh of the
inmates to howls of rage, and convinced them that
the savages were in earnest about making an attack.
The latter, evidently satisfied from the noise within
that their volley had done some execution, gave
some fierce halloos, which were answered from every
quarter, showing that the fort was completely surrounded,
some of the Indians even being on the
other side of the river. The garrison now began
to return the fire of their foes, directing their aim
to every place where they thought a single savage
might possibly be concealed. Occasionally the
Indians showed themselves, here and there, in the
cornfield, and along the edge of the wood; and
wherever one was seen from the station, a rifle bullet
was sent in his direction.
Thus the attack and defence was continued, with
no marked success on either side, till late in the
afternoon, when our little party appeared upon the
scene. The garrison heard their yells, and the responses
of the Indians surrounding the fort, and
were somewhat dismayed at the thought that perhaps
their number was already increased by a large
reinforcement.
Having thus shown how matters stood with the
scouts, and the travellers under their charge, we
will now return to those in whom we are most
deeply interested.
-- 248 -- p473-253
CHAPTER XVIII. MORE BRUTALITY.
[figure description] Page 248.[end figure description]
In the course of a few minutes quite a number
of the besiegers had collected around the group of
which Henry and Isaline formed a part. The savages
at once entered into conversation with one
another, and each party probably gave a brief account
of what had happened to themselves since
they met. Then they seemed to hold a consultation
concerning future operations, and, judging from
their gestures, more than once took the prisoners
into consideration. At length matters seemed to be
decided, and they began to separate.
Hampton, who had been watching the Indians
closely, with a look of anxious impatience, now drew
Blodget aside.
“What is it?” he asked.
“They want me to hail the garrison with a white
flag, and say we've got a big reinforcement, and see
if I can't get them to surrender. It's of no use, I
suppose, for the thing's been tried already, by one
of the chiefs, who could speak a little English, and
he only got laughed at, and even fired at, for his
pains.”
“Of course it will be of no use,” said Hampton,
-- 249 --
[figure description] Page 249.[end figure description]
with an expression of uneasiness, “for they know
well enough we cannot carry the fort by storm, and
that before long we shall in turn be assailed by the
reinforcements they have sent for.”
“How do you know they've sent for them?”
“Because they are not natural fools, and have had
time enough to dispatch messengers in every direction.
I tell you, Blodget, we are standing on a
volcano here, and liable to be destroyed at any
minute! If these borderers catch us consorting
with their savage foes, it will be a strong rope and
short shrift for us. Why, in the name of Heaven,
don't you use all your influence and endeavor to
persuade your Indians to retire while they have a
chance, and look for their revenge and plunder in
some less guarded quarter?”
“Because I think your fears, Hampton, make you
overrate the strength of the whites and underrate
ours!” answered the other, with a quiet and provoking
smile. “It's true, I don't think offering terms
to the garrison will do any good; but, for all that,
I've no fear that they can raise any party suddenly
that can get the better of us. Let them come. We
want a few scalps at least, and that in my opinion
will be the quickest way to get them.”
“It is a devilish infatuation that has got hold of
you all, and you will soon find it out!” said Hampton.
“For my part, I wish I were a hundred miles
away!”
-- 250 --
[figure description] Page 250.[end figure description]
“I hope you're not afraid!” returned Blodget, with
a peculiar look.
The color sprung into the face of Hampton, and
he seemed on the point of making an angry and defiant
rejoinder; but he apparently controlled himself,
and said, rather coldly:
“Sir! whenever the time of trial comes, I trust I
shall conduct myself to your satisfaction! It is not
always those who boast most who prove bravest in
the hour of danger!”
“Well,” returned Blodget, “I've got no power to
alter anything; and as the Indians have laid out my
work for me, I must do it. I'll leave you and
Methoto with the prisoners; and if anything should
happen, so's you can't get off with them, why just
brain and scalp them at once, and then make tracks
for the Ohio and put for the Indian towns on the
Scioto! Methoto 'll show you the way, and I'll tell
him what to do.”
“Tell him not to meddle with the girl!” said
Hampton, quickly, with an angry flush; “for she is
under my special charge!”
“All right, if you can get her off alive; but don't
forget that her scalp will count just as much as another,
and will help to make a great man of you
among the Indians!”
Blodget now turned and said a few words to
Methoto in the Indian tongue, and the latter grunted
and nodded and glanced wickedly at Henry, who
was standing quietly within reach of him, his
-- 251 --
[figure description] Page 251.[end figure description]
features very pale, but nothing in his look to indicate
that he understood what had been said, or that he
even took any interest in what was going on around
him. Isaline too was apparently even more unconscious,
for she had taken advantage of the opportunity
to seat herself on the ground and bury her face
in her hands, and now sat there as motionless as a
statue.
One of the Indians handed Blodget a stick with
a white cloth affixed to it, and, waving it over his
head, he at once set forward down the little knoll
and through the cornfield. Some three or four
savages accompanied him a short distance, and then
took care to screen their persons as well as they
could, evidently not feeling very sure that the sacred
emblem would protect them from the bullets of their
foes.
For a minute or two Hampton paced up and down
in an impatient, angry mood; and then, as if he wished
to find some one to vent his ill-humor upon, he
turned to his hated rival and addressed him in a
sneering tone.
“How do you like the present situation of things?”
he said.
Henry looked at him, as if to be certain he was
expected to reply to the question, and then answered,
in a mild, firm tone:
“Not as well as you do probably.”
“No doubt you will like matters less one of these
fine days! It was much more pleasant for you to
-- 252 --
[figure description] Page 252.[end figure description]
insult me on the boat, while surrounded by your
bullying friends, eh?”
“I did not insult you,” returned Henry, in the
same quiet tone; “but having myself been insulted
by you, I challenged you to put your life against
mine in a fair and honorable combat.”
“You lie!” cried Hampton; “no fair and honorable
combat was intended! but only a murderous
arrangement for the sacrifice of myself!”
“The plan was not mine,” rejoined Henry, “and
in the whole matter I was governed by others. So
far as I was concerned, I was willing to have met
you in any manner satisfactory to yourself. I acted
in the affair in a way that my conscience still approves,
and even spared you after you treacherously
fired at me!”
“Who treacherously fired at you?” demanded
Hampton, fiercely.
“You did!” replied Henry, fixing his clear blue
eye steadily upon him.
“You lie!” again cried Hampton, white with rage,
and accompanying the words with a brutal blow in
the face of Henry, that drew blood and staggered
him back to where Isaline was seated, who instantly
started to her feet, with a wild scream, and threw
her arms around his neck, as if she would protect
him with her life.
“Good!” exclaimed Methoto, with a fiendish
laugh; “him big t'ief—steal gun!”
“Come, none of this — nonsense!” cried
-- 253 --
[figure description] Page 253.[end figure description]
Hampton, striding up to Isaline and roughly seizing her
by the arm. “It seems you can make your lungs
do duty fast enough whenever this scoundrel is
molested, though you want for words when a gentleman
addresses you!”
“You are a cowardly villain!” cried Isaline,
instantly facing round to Hampton with the fury of
a tigress; “for none but a cowardly villain would
strike a bound prisoner!”
“And you are his sweet defender, it seems!”
sneered Hampton. “But, come! you must go with
me, and leave him to the tender mercies of Methoto,
who has an account to settle with him!”
“I will not leave him, unless taken away by force!”
said Isaline, resolutely.
“Then I shall be compelled to use force,” returned
Hampton, again taking hold of her arm, “for go
with me you must!”
“No!” cried Isaline; “sooner with a savage! sooner
with Methoto here, who is not half the villain you
are!” She jerked her arm away from him as she
spoke, and, running up to Methoto, caught hold of
him, saying: “Protect me from that bad man! I
do not like him—I would rather go with you!”
Methoto looked at her with an air of surprise and
a gleam of satisfaction.
“Squaw girl come go Methoto?” he asked.
“Yes, yes—with you, with anybody, rather than
with him!”
“What — foolery is this?” cried Hampton,
-- 254 --
[figure description] Page 254.[end figure description]
springing forward and seizing her roughly, to drag
her away by force.
Isaline screamed and clung to Methoto.
“Do not let me go with him!” she cried; “I will
go with you!”
“Stop!” said Methoto to Hampton; “squaw girl
no go you—go me!”
“She will do nothing of the kind!” rejoined
Hampton, now furious with rage: “she is my prisoner,
and, by —, I'll have her, dead or alive!”
He was struggling to drag her away from the
white Indian, and she clinging to the latter, when
suddenly Methoto raised his first and knocked the
villain down.
Hampton jumped up, almost livid with rage, and
attempted to bring his rifle to bear upon the other;
but quick as lightning Methoto struck the piece with
his own and sent it flying, and then with his fist
again knocked Hampton down.
Some three or four of the nearest savages now
appeared upon the scene, put a peremptory stop to
the fight, and asked Methoto the cause of the quarrel.
The latter gave such explanation as suited
him; and not being able to understand or speak
their language, Hampton could neither know that
the statement was correct nor say a word in his own
favor. In all probability Methoto made it appear
that he himself was in the right and the other in the
wrong, for the Indians nodded approval to him,
frowned at Hampton, and informed the latter, by
-- 255 --
[figure description] Page 255.[end figure description]
unmistakable sings, that he must keep quiet and let
Methoto and the girl alone, or they would interfere
and bind his hands.
The foiled villain, with his face all bloody and
swollen, fairly gnashed his teeth in impotent rage,
and muttered to himself, with a wicked oath:
“I'll bide my time, and send him to the devil
before long, by —!”
Isaline still kept her place near Methoto; but she
now flushed and paled alternately, as if laboring
under some intense excitement, and trembled like
an aspen.
“This is all your devilish work!” foamed Hampton,
with a look that almost made her blood curdle;
“and the time will come when you will have to
answer for it! If you will not accept my love, by—!
I'll make you feel my hate; and as I find I
can reach you best through that cursed lover of
yours, I'll give you both a little foretaste of the future
now!”
He wheeled around to seek Henry—to perform
what wicked and cruel act we will not pretend to
say—but the next moment he fairly howled with
disappointed rage.
Henry Colburn was gone. Taking advantage of
the quarrel between the two villains left to guard
him, he had darted off through the wood, and by
this time was far enough away to render pursuit
uncertain if not useless. Only Isaline had seen him
start—he had nodded an adieu to her—and this was
-- 256 --
[figure description] Page 256.[end figure description]
the cause of those fearful emotions which had made
her frame shake and quiver and sent the blood in
dizzying waves alternately to her head and heart.
“Fool!” cried Hampton, turning fiercely toward
Methoto; “don't you see your prisoner is gone?”
The savages, who were slowly moving away,
seemed to comprehend what had occurred; and two
of them, with peculiar yells, intended perhaps to
convey the information to all within hearing and put
them on the watch, at once darted into the wood and
disappeared; but Methoto took the matter very
coolly, and made no attempt to follow.
“Why don't you go and hunt your prisoner?”
cried Hampton, almost beside himself with rage at
the turn matters had taken.
“Oogh!” grunted the other; “me stay white
squaw; you go catch.”
As no language could do justice to the almost
bursting rage of the renegade, not even a volley of
the most profane oaths, he turned away in silence
and leaned against a tree, his black heart a perfect
seething, burning hell.
Meantime the worthy bearer of the flag was approaching
the station, and the firing, yelling and
shouting had ceased on both sides. The whites were
waiting to hear what proposition was now to be
made, and the Indians were anxious to know how
their offer, through one who could perfectly speak
the English tongue, would be received.
There were some serious points for the besieged
-- 257 --
[figure description] Page 257.[end figure description]
to consider. The day was drawing to a close, the
sun being not more than half-an-hour above the
horizon; their own expected reinforeements had not
arrived; the strength of their enemies had probably
been increased, they knew not how much; night
would soon settle over the scene, and, under the
cover of darkness, the savages might press up close,
with little risk, and perhaps succeed in firing the
buildings; and all these things, taken together, had
a somewhat depressing effect; though we must do
them the justice to add, that the thought of surrender,
under any circumstances, was never for a
moment entertained.
It was easily seen from the fort that Blodget was
a white man, and an answering flag was waved to
him from one of the loop-holes. He went forward
alone, with apparent confidence, and had just reached
the point where he intended to stop and deliver his
message, when almost in an instant the whole aspect
of affairs was changed.
A single alarm halloo in the distance was instantly
repeated in twenty quarters; and then, mingling
with these sounds, came the wild, fierce shouts
of white men, and the sharp crack of rifles. Blodget
turned and fled in dismay; and the Indians flew
back into the wood, and communicated with each
other by their signal yells.
A couple of savages now rushed toward Isaline,
tomahawk in hand, with the apparent design of killing
and scalping her. She comprehended their
-- 258 --
[figure description] Page 258.[end figure description]
purpose, uttered a wild scream, and sprung behind
Methoto, who instantly interfered to save her. He
said something to them, speaking quickly and gruffly,
and they turned and darted away.
“Come!” said the white savage to her, grasping
her arm; “us run! Indian mad heap! Catch squaw—
him kill—him scalp!”
He hurried her back into the wood, and Hampton
followed, probably not wishing to lose sight of
her.
They descended into a little hollow, pushed into a
dense thicket, and stopped.
Here they heard the shouts of the whites, the yells
of the Indians, and the sharp rattle of fire-arms on
both sides.
Isaline felt faint. The fatigues and excitements
of the day, united with the most thrilling and conflicting
emotions within the last few minutes, were
beginning to overpower her. And still there were
hope and fear, and a vague, terrible uncertainty for
her. What would be the end for her, let who would
triumph? She quietly sunk down on the ground,
and buried her face in her hands.
The sounds of conflict continued—some of them
near and some quite distant—showing that there
was either more than one assailing party, or else
that the force of the whites was large enough to do
battle over a long reach of ground.
As he listened, Methoto began to grow restless.
He snuffed the air like a battle horse, grasped his
-- 259 --
[figure description] Page 259.[end figure description]
rifle firmly, fumbled with the handle of his tomahawk,
and glanced at Isaline and Hampton in a
peculiar way.
“White brave go fight?” he asked.
“No!” emphatically answered Hampton, in a
sharp, snappish tone.
“Tie squaw!” said the other, evidently meaning
that Isaline could be secured in this way during their
absence.
To this Hampton made no reply. With his now
swollen face and nearly closed eye, to keep fresh in
his recollection the manner in which his rights had
been trampled on and his fair prisoner wrested from
him, he was in no mood to talk pleasantly with
Methoto, but rather in the vein to take his life, restrained
only by prudence and policy.
For a few moments Methoto seemed to debate
with himself on the propriety of leaving the girl
alone with Hampton, doubtless fearing the latter
might run off with her; but the exciting sounds
of the conflict, with one or two triumphant yells
in the vicinity, decided him, and, with a regular
Indian whoop, he bounded away to join in the
strife.
The moment he found himself alone with Isaline,
Hampton seized her roughly by the shoulder, and,
with no gentle shake, and in a very gruff tone, said:
“Come! get up and come with me!”
Isaline suddenly lifted her white, marble face, and,
seeing no other person present, said quietly, but
firmly:
-- 260 --
[figure description] Page 260.[end figure description]
“I will not go one step with such a villain as you,
unless compelled by force!”
“By—,Miss Holcombe,” cried Hampton, fairly
trembling with passion, “don't raise the devil in me
any more to-day, or I shall do something wicked!”
“What?” said Isaline, with a proud look of scorn.
“Strike an unarmed, defenceless woman, perhaps!
Why, that would indeed be in perfect keeping with
your other brutal and cowardly acts! Thank God,”
she added, with a triumphant flush, “Henry Colburn
has escaped from your vile hands! and whatever
may be my fate, I know there will be an avenger
on my path!”
“Fool!” exclaimed Hampton; “don't you know
he has been retaken?”
“Oh, my God!” cried Isaline, clasping her hands
over her heart and feeling her brain reel. A
moment's reflection, however, convinced her the
statement was not true—for what could Hampton
know more than herself? he not having been away
from her side—and she quickly and spiritedly
added: “The assertion is as false as the tongue that
utters it! He is now among his friends, and
doubtless already fighting in the cause of right,
which will certainly triumph!”
“Well, up with you and come with me!” said the
other, fiercely.
“I will not!” returned Isaline, firmly: “I will not
stir from here, alone in your company, except compelled
by brute force!”
-- 261 --
[figure description] Page 261.[end figure description]
“You prefer the arms of the white Indian to
mine, eh?”
“Ay, or the blackest savage of them all!” rejoined
Isaline, with fiery energy. “I have no
language that can begin to express my utter loathing
and detestation of you! of you, Charles Hampton,
whom I once respected and esteemed! Nothing
ever lived on the face of the earth that I would not
prefer to you!”
“And all because, through my idolatrous worship,
I forced myself in between you and your last
lover?” he said.
“All because of your own utter baseness, in
descending from the high position you occupied
among refined and intellectual gentlemen, to consort
with the barbarians of the wilderness, turn against
your own race and color, and do the meanest acts of
the meanest coward of them all!” returned Isaline,
with sparkling eyes, and a radiant flush of righteous
indignation. “For the savages there may be some
excuse, in the barbarous manner of their bringing
up; but for you there is none whatever!”
“By—! you are a good sharp hater!” returned
the black-hearted villain, suddenly assuming
a tone and manner of the most provoking coolness;
“and you really look so beautiful in your anger,
my dear girl, that I can hardly find the heart to
wish you otherwise!”
Isaline was prepared for a fierce rejoinder, but not
for this; there was something in it so utterly devil-
-- --
[figure description] Blank Page.[end figure description]
-- 263 -- p473-268
CHAPTER XIX. THE PHANTOM IN CAMP.
[figure description] Page 263.[end figure description]
Of that wild flight, when she was literally dragged
away by Methoto and an Indian, Isaline Holcombe
could never tell anything very distinctly. That she
all the time had her senses, she was not certain, for
her remembrance had the indistinctness of a wild,
horrible dream, with one change following another
with a suddenness not real. At first she was being
impelled through the forest while the sun was yet
shining; and her next recollection was of being
dragged along in thick darkness, with pains in
her limbs and feet, bushes brushing across her face,
and a feeling of faintness and weariness impossible
to describe. At this time too she heard, or fancied
she heard, a voice not unlike Hampton's complaining
that somebody was killing her; while she felt herself
that death was not far off, and that she would
gladly welcome it as the end of pain and trouble
and the certainty of rest. Next it was night still,
and she was reclining in some gloomy place, supported
by human arms, with the shadowy outline
of a log-cabin looming up before her in the dim
starlight, and shadowy figures flitting to and fro,
and sounds like heavy blows coming dully to her
-- 262 --
[figure description] Page 262.[end figure description]
ish, that her frank, open nature could not grasp it—
could not comprehend it; and reflecting that she
was alone, unprotected, and in such a villain's power,
she burst into tears, and once more became the weak,
trembling girl.
It was Charles Hampton's present design to get
Isaline removed to some point where Methoto would
not be likely to find her till the Indians should be
again collected together; and then, by getting Blodget
to explain the whole matter to the savages, he
doubted not she would be awarded to him as his
private property—or, what was about the same thing,
his wife—and then he would be left to manage her
to suit himself; but while he now stood looking
at her, considering how best to accomplish his purpose,
since she had refused to accompany him except
by force, Methoto and an Indian suddenly burst into
the thicket. Catching hold of Isaline, one on either
side, they jerked her upon her feet, and darted away
through the wood, fairly dragging her along between
them. Alarmed at the probable danger behind,
Hampton also fled with them, and they were soon
joined by some half-a-dozen savages, all apparently
flying for their lives.
The truth was, the assailing party of whites outnumbered
the Indians as two to one; and having
just discovered this, and that they were being
outflanked and surrounded, while a strong sally was
being made from the fort, their leaders suddenly
sounded the signal yells of retreat, and they were
now flying in dismay.
-- 265 --
[figure description] Page 265.[end figure description]
pieces of meat were also hung up in different places;
and near the centre of the camp was a pile of plunder,
consisting principally of clothing of both sexes,
farming implements, and household utensils. All
this seemed to prove, that, if the Indians had been
defeated at Higgins' Block-house, they had managed
to collect together, the majority of them at least, and
take ample revenge, during their night retreat, upon
lonely, isolated settlers. The night, as we have
shown, had been to Isaline as a wild, horrible dream;
but she knew now that what she had seen were the
indistinct glimmerings of a dreadful reality, and she
thanked God that she had been spared the mental
anguish of seeing and knowing more.
Every one in the camp, except Isaline herself,
appeared now to be asleep—as if, feeling perfectly
secure, after the fatigues of the day and night, each
had thrown himself down to recruit, with peaceful
rest, his over wearied frame—and she, poor girl, for
a moment thought of the possibility of stealing away
and making her escape. But then she knew not
where she was, nor where to go; and the probabilities
were so strong that some one would shortly
awake and miss her, should she make the attempt,
and then alarm the camp and have the whole party
on her trail, that she at once abandoned the idea
as hopeless of success.
Suddenly she had her whole attention arrested
and fixed by something she did not comprehend.
It was the cautious and noiseless movement of some
-- 266 --
[figure description] Page 266.[end figure description]
object, resembling a human being, which was descending
a tree just beyond the circle of sleeping
warriors. It was not yet light—only the dull gray
of breaking day—and at that distance she could not
see distinctly enough to be certain that the object in
question was not a mere animal. It might in fact
be a bear, for it did not look unlike one. Isaline
remained perfectly still, with her eyes fixed intently
upon it. It descended to the ground, and yet remained
upright like a man. Then it began to move
stealthily forward, into the very circle of the sleeping
warriors, toward herself. As it drew nearer, she
fancied it looked more and more like a human being—
but like a naked human being—all covered with
short, brownish hair, face as well as body. Could it
be the dread Phantom of the Forest? the fearful Unknown
that had made so many brave men tremble?
Isaline felt her very blood run cold and her hair
rise. Nearer and still nearer it came, till only a few
paces divided the mysterious object from herself, and
still she remained silent and motionless, holding her
breath, and glaring at it as if it were an apparition
from the unseen world. At length it stopped, exactly
where a large piece of meat hung swinging
below the limb of a tree. The next moment the
hairy hands grasped the object of its quest and disengaged
it, and the Unknown began to glide away
like a shadow, but with a gradually accelerated motion.
Only a few seconds more it remained in sight,
-- 267 --
[figure description] Page 267.[end figure description]
and then to the strained eyes of Isaline it seemed to
vanish into air.
A minute or two after, the forest resounded with
that peculiarly wild, prolonged, quavering shriek
that had so often blanched the faces of the superstitious
borderers.
Almost like one man the startled savages came
bounding to their feet, grasping their muskets and
tomahawks, and looking wildly and fiercely around
them. Of course they saw nothing to alarm them;
and then some of them seemed to think the fearful
sound had been made by Isaline, and hurriedly
approached her, with horrid scowls and threatening
gestures. She shuddered and commended her soul
to God, fearing her last moment had come. The
danger was certainly imminent, and perhaps the
grim King of Terrors had never drawn nearer to
her than then—for a dozen angry, bloodthirsty
savages were each eager to hang her gory scalp to
his own girdle. The white men alone saved her.
Hampton, Blodget and Methoto, each perceiving the
murderous design, sprung forward together and
interposed their bodies between her and the infuriated
Indians. Then Blodget spoke to them in a
rapid, vehement manner, and Methoto addressed
them the moment he ceased. The words of both
united had the desired effect, and the Indians finally
turned away in silence, as if ashamed of their
murderous demonstration.
“How do you find yourself this morning,
-- 268 --
[figure description] Page 268.[end figure description]
Isaline?” asked Hampton, in a kindly tone, as soon as
he could speak to her alone.
As we have said before, he was naturally a handsome
man; but at this time his beauty was greatly
marred by the rough treatment he had received from
the hands of Methoto on the previous day. One
eye was nearly closed, the other was bloodshot, one
cheek was swollen and black and blue, and his
general appearance was distressed and haggard—
enough so to excite something like compassion in
the breast of the fair girl he had so deeply wronged.
Isaline looked at him steadily for a moment, and
answered, in a low, melancholy tone:
“I am none the better for being here, Charles
Hampton, and I am disposed to wish I were already
numbered with the victims who have gone before
me!”
“Oh, say not so, Miss Isaline!” he returned, with
an appearance of considerable feeling, whether
feigned or real. “You were roughly used last
night, I admit; but though it was not my fault then,
I shall do what I can to guard you against it in the
future.”
“Charles Hampton,” she solemnly rejoined, “I am
forced to believe I owe the worst of my misfortunes
to you! I have seen and heard enough to convince
me that you are one of the prime movers in these
wicked doings which have robbed me of all that
makes life desirable!”
“I have done wrong, I confess,” he replied, with a
-- 269 --
[figure description] Page 269.[end figure description]
penitential air; “but it was because of my mad passion—
my wild, idolatrous love for one whom I saw
and felt to be passing beyond my reach! Oh, Isaline!
perhaps you may faintly comprehend me, when I tell
you that Heaven for me could have no joys if you
were absent, and hell itself no terrors if you were
present! Pity me, Isaline Holcombe—pity me—you
who should pity me—for I am suffering for my sins
even now!”
“Say rather your crimes, Charles Hampton! for
innocent blood has gone up to the Throne of Jehovah
to appear in judgment against you! Pity you I may;
but do not ask me to forgive! God alone can do
that! Look at yonder bloody trophies, torn from
the heads of pleading, shrieking victims, young and
old, who never wronged you even in thought!”
“It was a horrid night's work!” returned Hampton,
with a shudder; “but I had no hand in it.”
“Delude not yourself with that false idea!” was
the stern rejoinder of Isaline. “Your hand was in
it—ay, and your soul was in it—when you united
with and became one of the murderous band that
did it!”
“Enough of this!” said Hampton, rather coldly;
“one does not care to be entertained with reproaches,
or words abusive of one's self! The past is past.
Can I do anything for you now?”
“I do not know that you can,” answered Isaline.
“I feel now as if the time will not be long that I
shall need human aid.”
-- 270 --
[figure description] Page 270.[end figure description]
“Nay, you must cheer up and hope for the best!
With the exception of being dragged through the
wood, by Methoto and an Indian in their hurried
flight, you have not been so badly used; and even
that might have been avoided, had you gone with
me at my request. And I must add this in my own
favor, that, notwithstanding you treated me with so
much scorn and contempt, I did all I could for you,
and plead with Methoto to give you into my charge.
When the Indians had collected together before the
first log cabin they attacked, and Methoto rushed in
to the work of slaughter, you know that I turned
from the wild scene of butchery and sought only to
protect you; and that when the horses were captured,
I begged one for myself and placed you on
it, and afterward guarded you hither, and made
everything as comfortable for you as I possibly
could.”
“It was you then that did all this for me?” said
Isaline, apparently somewhat moved by the kindness
shown and the absence of cruel indifference
which might have been displayed.
“Did you not know it was me?” asked Hampton.
“No, I knew little of what took place last night.
I have a few horrid recollections, but they seem
rather to belong to some horrid dream than a reality.
I have a painful impression of seeing a cabin on fire,
and hearing wild shrieks and yells and the reports
of fire-arms, and then of being borne rapidly away.
-- 271 --
[figure description] Page 271.[end figure description]
That is all I remember till I awoke this morning and
found myself here.”
“And it was you that gave that fearful shriek?”
“No! I think it was that strange Creature that
followed you in the forest. I saw it come down from
a tree yonder, and glide into the camp like a spectre,
and then glide off and vanish. It had the form of
a human being, but seemed to be all covered with
short, brownish hair.”
“It must be some wild animal!” said Hampton,
glancing sharply around him; “though I am told
that trouble always comes to those who see and hear
it!”
“Do the Indians know anything about it?” inquired
Isaline.
“I will ask Blodget,” answered Hampton; and he
immediately turned away to seek that individual.
He was absent for several minutes; and Isaline
first saw him talking with Blodget and Methoto,
and then observed the Indians gradually collect
around the three and seem to become much interested
in what was being said.
Meantime Isaline got upon her feet, and found
them and her ankles so swollen, scratched and
bruised, from being dragged through the wood,
over sticks, logs and stones, that it was painful
for her to stand and difficult for her to walk.
When Hampton returned to her, he reported that
the Indians had only heard the strange sound since
crossing the Ohio; but being naturally superstitious,
-- 272 --
[figure description] Page 272.[end figure description]
they had, after his story had been repeated to them,
announced it as their belief that it was an evil spirit,
which boded no good to them, and that as soon as
they should arrive at home they would consult their
Prophet or Great Medicine concerning it.
“It may bode evil to them and others,” said Isaline,
gloomily, “but I no longer fear that anything
can change my condition for the worse.”
“On the contrary, your seeing it may be all the
better for you!” returned Hampton.
“How so?”
“The Indians say, that as you saw it approach
you, without its doing you any harm, you must
in some degree be under its protection, and that
trouble may come upon whoever shall attempt to injure
you.”
“Then God bless the Unknown, whatever it is!”
said the poor, forlorn captive, with deep fervor.
“But tell me,” she pursued, “in what part of the
country we are now, and what the Indians are going
to do next?”
“I cannot answer either question, Isaline,” replied
Hampton, “because I do not know.”
“Are we far from the station we left last night?”
“Yes, a good many miles, for we did not reach
here till midnight or past, though we rode a good
part of the time and rode fast.”
“And how many cabins were plundered and burnt
on the way?”
“Three.”
-- 273 --
[figure description] Page 273.[end figure description]
“And those scalps were taken last night?”
“I suppose so; for I know some of the settlers
were killed, and I saw the Indians stretching their
bloody trophies on hoops after we had reached this
place.”
“And they could find time for that? the wretches!”
“It was only the work of some two or three
minutes, each warrior doing his own. By the time
I had fixed you in a comfortable position and
tethered my horse, the slowest one was ready for
his blanket, and most of the others appeared to be
asleep even then.”
“And that meat I see hanging in different places?”
“At one of the farm-houses they killed an ox
and a cow, and brought so much away with them.
And that reminds me, my dear Isaline, that you
have not tasted a morsel since yesterday morning,
and must in consequence be very weak and faint!”
“I have no desire for food,” sighed the other,
“and do not care if I never have again.”
“Just wait and see how I will tempt you!” said
Hampton, as he hurried away to prepare a breakfast
for her.
The savages had by this time kindled a fire, and
most of them were busy in cutting off slices of meat
and toasting them. In plundering the farm-houses,
too, they had found a few corn cakes and small
loaves of bread, and these they now equally divided
among all, giving Hampton two shares, one for himself
and the other for the fair prisoner. He soon
-- 274 --
[figure description] Page 274.[end figure description]
returned to Isaline, with a well toasted slice of meat
laid upon a piece of bread, and handed it to her,
with the remark:
“Would to Heaven I had something better to
offer you; but in this case, as in many others, my
dear Isaline, you must take the will for the deed!”
“I do not care to eat,” returned the other.
“Oh, you must, or you will faint by the way!”
“Let me die by the way then!”
Come, come—this is folly! Cheer up! How do
you know that the great future has not many bright
things in store for you?”
She seemed to reflect for a moment, and then said,
in a tone of deep solemnity:
“The future belongs to God, not man, it is true,
and so I will eat!”
She took the food in her hand, and was in the act
of carrying a portion of it to her lips, when the
recollection of her last meal suddenly flashed upon
her. It was of a similar kind, similarly prepared,
and urged upon her by words scarcely more tenderly
spoken; but, oh! by how different a being! Brave,
noble, generous, self-sacrificing Henry Colburn!
where was he now? and what comparative fiend of
darkness now stood in his place! Her heart rose
to her throat, her hands trembled, her frame shook,
and she burst into tears.
“Well, well—what now? what now?” somewhat
impatiently demanded Hampton.
“Do not question, but leave me for a while!”
-- 275 --
[figure description] Page 275.[end figure description]
sobbed Isaline. “I shall be calmer soon, and will
then eat what you have prepared for me, with thanks
for all the kindness you have shown!”
There was no deceit in this. She did thank him
for his kindness, even while she remembered his
cruelty against him. The words did deceive Hampton
nevertheless—or rather, perhaps, he drew from
them an inference never intended, and deceived himself.
“All right!” he thought, as he turned back to the
fire to prepare his own morning meal; “she is
coming round as well as heart can wish. I have
been too harsh with her at times perhaps, and a
little kindness now is doing wonders. If I can only
manage to get her safely into the Indian country,
the rest will be easy. Of course she will then consent
to marry me, to save herself from something
worse; and then I will take her to Canada, and have
the ceremony legally and publicly performed. And
then” (rubbing his hands in pleased anticipation,)
“ha! ha! and then! Thanks to my being a lawyer's
clerk, I know exactly what she is going to inherit
from her mother's half uncle, Sir Joshua Speed; and
I would venture a heavy wager I am the only man
in this—country who does know anything about
it; for old Sir Joshua hates America as the devil
does holy water—especially since the late war has
terminated in Yankee Independence—and, being an
eccentric old bachelor, he has just willed this girl his
fortune, not from any love of her or any of her
-- 276 --
[figure description] Page 276.[end figure description]
family, but merely to spite his English cousins, who are
looking hopefully forward to his death! Thanks,
too, to the money I wormed out of that burglar before
he had his trial and sentence, on pretence that
my master would get him clear, I have had plenty
of capital to work with—especially as I made the
Virginia fools believe me to be the third son of an
English lord, and so got the entrée of their best society,
(Heaven save the mark!) and good keeping at
little cost. Being a dead shot, with either rifle or
pistol, of course they knew me to be a gentleman—of
course they did. I played a bold game; but then,
`Nothing venture, nothing have!' Everything was
going well, till that—, long haired, romantic,
scouting fool of an artist crossed my path, and then
matters suddenly changed for the worse. Well, now
again they have changed for the better, thanks to
the desperate course I have taken! and if I play my
cards well, I shall win yet. I should have got that
fellow Colburn out of the way without making my
hate too manifest; that was bad policy; and abusing
him in the presence of the girl was still worse—for
it is clear she loves him madly; but then it is not so
easy to keep one's passions under on all occasions.
His escape was most unfortunate, for of course he
will urge a fierce pursuit; and if the Indians do not
now make a hurried flight out of the country, we
may get into trouble yet. That savage butchery
was horrible to one not used to it! But then, after
all, what of it? Everybody has to die some time;
-- 277 --
[figure description] Page 277.[end figure description]
and, it being a mere question of time, a few years,
more or less, can make no great difference to people
who at the best have a hard struggle to live. I wonder
if I am to have any more trouble from that white
Indian? Should he not interfere again, the past may
go; but let him beware how he again attempts to
come between me and my prize!”
With these and many other dark thoughts flitting
through his active brain, the scheming villain proceeded
to toast his meat and eat his breakfast with
a heartiness that showed his appetite had not yet
become impaired by what had occurred.
-- 278 -- p473-283
CHAPTER XX. THE SAVAGE DECREE.
[figure description] Page 278.[end figure description]
By the time that Charles Hampton (alias Stephen
Rogers, which was his real name, though for convenience
we shall still continue to call him by his
assumed one) had finished his morning repast, the
sun was gilding the tops of the hills, and the Indians
were collected together and holding a consultation
concerning their next movements.
After the brief skirmish in the vicinity of Higgins'
Block-house, as rather mentioned than described
in a preceding chapter, it will be remembered the
Indians made a precipitate retreat. In their flight
they had borne off a few dead and several wounded
warriors. The Kentuckians had hotly pursued
them, but only till dark, which had soon followed.
Then, by signals understood among themselves—
such as the hooting of owls, the howling of wolves, the
bleating of fawns and the gobbling of turkeys—the
savages had shortly managed to reunite their whole
force. Then they had held a council of war, which
had resulted in a division of opinion and a division
of number. The majority had been for a bold
marauding expedition through the country, and the
minority for getting across the Ohio in the shortest
-- 279 --
[figure description] Page 279.[end figure description]
possible time. Both parties had been permitted to
have their way—the dead having been buried and
the wounded consigned to the smaller number. If
Hampton had then been consulted and allowed to
do as he pleased, he would have gone with the latter and
taken Isaline with him; but as Blodget and
Methoto had decided to go with the main body, and
as the white savage still had the fair captive in his
charge and would not lose sight of her, the scheming
villain had of course to do the same. Being ambitious
of distinguishing himself as an Indian warrior,
Methoto had taken an active part in the attack upon
the first cabin they had come to, leaving poor Isaline
to the care of Hampton, who had guarded her to
the end of the day's journey—nor had the white
savage since said or done anything to show that
he intended to reassert his claim to her possession.
Thus matters stood as the Indians now held their
council, in which both Blodget and Methoto took
part. As it was known to the savages that the
whole country was up in arms behind them, they
decided to make a long, swift march to the westward,
and avoid all stations, settlements and single dwellings,
till the cover of another night should enable
them to continue their horried work of murder and
pillage with little risk. They had managed to steal
some twenty horses, which, not being enough for all,
would require them to take turns in riding. Among
the savages themselves this matter was easily arranged;
but when Hampton brought up the horse he
-- 280 --
[figure description] Page 280.[end figure description]
had ridden the preceding night, and was about to
have Isaline mount in front of him, he suddenly met
with opposition that he was not expecting.
Methoto stalked proudly up, with two of the partially
dried scalps attached to his girdle, and, laying
his hand upon the bridle rein, exclaimed:
“Me brave—last night much fight—two scalp got—
then walk heap. You no brave—no fight—no
scalp got—ride heap 'long white squaw. Now me
ride' long white squaw—you walk heap.”
For nearly a minute Hampton made no reply; but,
with his features flushing and paling alternately,
and his fingers working convulsively, he sat, with
his black, fiery eyes fixed, with the fierceness of
a tiger, upon the dull, gray orbs of Methoto, who
never quailed or changed expression, but remained
entirely passive, with a stolid look of dogged determination,
as if patiently waiting for the other to
speak or dismount.
At length the scheming villain turned to the
decoy, who was standing near, and, in as quiet and
steady a tone as he could command, fairly choking
down his rage, said:
“Blodget, what is to be done in this case?”
“Well,” answered Blodget, with an expression
that clearly showed he secretly enjoyed the annoyance
of the other, “I don't know anything better
than for you to do what he tells you.”
“Have I not a right to this horse?”
“Not any more'n you have to the others: they all
-- 281 --
[figure description] Page 281.[end figure description]
belong to the party in common, and will till the
Indians make a division.”
“But the girl is mine certainly!”
“I don't know about that.”
“Was it not the agreement before we started that
she was to belong to me exclusively?”
“Circumstances alter cases, you know!” returned
Blodget, in a tone of provoking coolness. “She was
yours at one time; but then, I'm told, she refused
to go with you, and sort of gave herself away to
Methoto.”
“Who told you so?”
Blodget nodded toward the white Indian.
“Oogh!” grunted Methoto, tapping his breast;
“her say come me—me take um!”
“But then you gave her up again,” said Hampton,
his eyes gleaming like a wild beast's and his lips
fairly quivering with suppressed passion, “and she
rode with me and was under my care nearly all last
night.”
“Oogh!” grunted Methoto again; “you no fight—
no get scalp—you ride 'long white squaw—me walk
big heap. Now me ride 'long squaw—you walk
big heap.”
“That seems to be fair,” grinned Blodget.
“Suppose we refer the matter to the Indians!”
said Hampton, quietly, seeing that no show of passion
or resistance would avail him under the circumstances.
“I will ask you, as a gentleman and fellow
countryman, friend Blodget, to state the matter
-- 282 --
[figure description] Page 282.[end figure description]
fairly and impartially to these brave warriors, and
assure them that the girl now prefers to go with me;
and that, as soon as we get to their towns, I intend
to make them all handsome presents, in return for
their kindness to us. Even you, too, Methoto!” he
added, in a conciliating tone, turning to the sullen,
dogged fellow, who still kept his grasp on the rein,
and his cold gray eyes fixed immovably upon him;
“you shall have a handsome present too!”
“Me no want present—want squaw—want hoss!”
sullenly growled Methoto.
“You want the devil's brimstone, and I may
put you in the way to get it, one of these days!”
thought Hampton, though he did not venture to say
so aloud.
“If I'm to tell the Indians the girl prefers to go
with you, I've got to have it from her own lips first!”
said Blodget.
“Speak then, Isaline,” said Hampton, addressing
the poor, half-distracted girl, “and say it is your
wish to go with me.”
Isaline, pale as a ghost, was standing against the
old tree, with the untasted food still in her hand,
trembling, weak in body and sick at heart. Thus
appealed to, she roused herself, as if with a painful
effort, and, glancing around, saw many eyes fixed
upon her, Methoto's among the number. She would
gladly have shrunk away, even out of existence, so
that she might forever have been rid of her
-- 283 --
[figure description] Page 283.[end figure description]
tormentors; but as this could not be, she said, in a
faint, despairing tone:
“Of the two, it is my wish to go with Mr. Hampton.”
It was her wish to go with neither—for Hampton
had proved himself to be a sort of refined, black-hearted
villain, and Methoto was a coarse, brutal,
unfeeling savage—but education, society and acquaintanceship,
had brought the former nearer to
an equality with her than the latter; and besides,
she remembered that the treatment of the one had
in the main been far more gentle and considerate
than that of the other.
Little did she dream, however, of the manner in
which her words would be received by the white
Indian, or she would have permitted the matter to
be settled by others, without herself expressing any
choice—for scarcely had she spoken, when Methoto,
with a fierce gleam of rage, strode up, and seizing
her roughly by the arm, brutally jerked her forward
a few feet, and said, in a gruff tone:
“No go him—go me—you mine!”
Isaline uttered a despairing cry of pain and fear.
“Kill me! kill me at once, and put me out of my
misery!” she exclaimed.
At that moment the forest again resounded with
the same wild, prolonged, quavering shriek; and
Methoto, turning somewhat pale, suddenly relinquished
his hold of Isaline and stepped back two or
-- 284 --
[figure description] Page 284.[end figure description]
three paces, and the superstitious Indians glanced
quickly around them, with looks expressive of awe.
What might have ensued, but for this mysterious
interruption—what desperate thing Charles Hampton
might have attempted—we will not pretend to
say; but certain it is, that when Methoto laid violent
hands upon Isaline, he turned deadly pale, quivered
all over with passion, impulsively drew his knife,
leaped from his horse, and now stood as one suddenly
arrested by some startling occurrence.
For the space of half a minute there was a deep
and almost breathless silence; and then Hampton
said, in a clear, ringing tone, addressing Blodget:
“I claim that girl as mine, according to the compact
between us; and you see the devil so wills it!”
“It looks that way, by —!” returned the other,
with a supporting oath, and a shuddering shrug of
the shoulders. “There's something about—the Lord
knows what—that I don't care to quarrel with, and
I'd advise Methoto not to do it either!”
“Let the Indians decide the point!” said Hampton;
“you have heard the girl express her own wish
in the matter.”
Blodget now addressed a few words to the Indians;
and Methoto, fixing his eyes on him, and
folding his arms across his breast, listened in sullen,
dogged silence. When the former had done, the
latter quietly advanced, and made a brief speech
and held up his two scalps. Then the warriors,
after a brief consultation, gave their decision. It
-- 285 --
[figure description] Page 285.[end figure description]
was that neither Hampton nor Methoto should have
charge of Isaline for the present, but that she should
be taken along as a general prisoner, and that whichever
of the white men could show the most scalps
by the time they were ready to cross the Ohio,
should have sole right to her ever after.
“And this is the decision of the warriors, is it?”
said Hampton, in reply to the announcement of
Blodget, suppressing his anger as much as possible.
“Such is their decision, sir!”
“Very well then, as I have no choice in the matter,
it is hardly worth while for me to waste any
more words on the subject!” returned Hampton,
turning coldly away.
“Serves you right,” muttered Blodget to himself,
offended at the manner of the other, “for wanting
the best prize without doing anything for it! Well,
as I've now got an equal chance with the pair of
them, I'll just try what I can do to secure the girl,
for she's a mighty pretty piece and will suit me
exactly!”
Thus it will be seen that poor Isaline was prospectively
decreed to the bloodiest wretch of them
all—her possession to be the reward for excelling in
murder and mutilation!
Having settled this matter, the Indians now
hurried away from their present camp, one of the
mounted savages taking poor Isaline up in front of
him. They took a westward course through the
wilderness, avoiding, according to previous
-- 286 --
[figure description] Page 286.[end figure description]
arrangement, all settlements and settlers, continued their
journey all day, crossed several creeks and small
streams, and, just before sunset, reached a wild,
gloomy place on the right bank of the Kentucky
River, where they again encamped, feeling pretty
sure they had now left their armed foes far behind
them. Here they picketed their stolen horses, in a
little valley where there was plenty of good grazing,
and then kindled a fire and prepared their evening
meal, which consisted principally of fresh meat.
In the course of the day Isaline had managed to
eat what Hampton had given her in the morning,
and she now took what the savages offered her and
put it away against a time of need, having no further
desire for food at the moment. She was dispirited
and gloomy, for the present was full of misery
and the future looked darker still. She had not
exchanged a word with a single soul since morning,
and it was some little relief when Hampton now
came to her and kindly inquired about her health.
“Unfortunately I am living still!” was her melancholy
reply; “though I am constantly praying for
death!”
For a few moments Hampton stood and looked
at her in such a position that the fire-light shone
full upon his face, and Isaline observed that he was
very pale and had a troubled expression.
“I did not have the pleasure of caring for you
to-day!” he at length said, in a low, guarded tone.
-- 287 --
[figure description] Page 287.[end figure description]
“I suppose the Indians would not permit it!” she
rejoined.
“All owing to that devil Methoto!” he answered,
glancing furtively around, to be sure that neither of
the white men were within hearing. “Ah, Isaline,”
he continued, in a reproachful tone, “it was a sad
thing for both of us when you withdrew yourself
from my protection and placed yourself in his hands!”
“You compelled me to it by your passionate violence!”
she returned, with some spirit. “It was a
wicked, cruel and cowardly act for you to strike a
bound and helpless prisoner! and then, because I
sympathized with him, who had been my kind protector
and friend, to attempt to drag me away from
him by brute force! Had a fiend been there, I
would have sought refuge in his arms to escape
from you!”
“I know I was in the wrong,” he penitently
answered, “but at the moment I was beside myself
with rage. Will you not forgive me, Isaline?”
She did not answer till he repeated the question
in a low, sad tone.
“If I can see any evidence in the future that
you have really repented of all your wicked deeds,
I will pray God to forgive you!” was her somewhat
evasive reply.
“You shall see it, Isaline, if we both live and remain
together! for I have repented, and shall atone
for them by every means in my power! Do you
know what the Indians decided on in the morning?”
-- 288 --
[figure description] Page 288.[end figure description]
“No, I did not understand what was said.”
“You have been withdrawn from my protection,
and are now held at the awful price of blood!”
“What do you mean?”
“They have decided that whichever of us three,
(Blodget, Methoto or myself,) shall produce the most
white scalps by the time they are ready to cross the
Ohio, shall have you for his reward.”
“Oh, merciful God! am I indeed to be bartered
for blood?” cried Isaline, with a wild, startled look.
“Hist! not so loud, dear lady!”
“Rather than be the cause of such horrible work,
I will destroy myself!” said Isaline, in a low, determined
tone; “for far better that I should perish and
be out of my misery, than that the innocent should
be butchered on my account!”
“Far better than either that you should escape
from these savages with me!” observed Hampton,
in a low, hurried tone.
“Escape? how? is there any way?” said Isaline,
quickly, catching her breath.
“Yes, yes, dear girl! keep up your spirits and
hope! I have a plan—I will tell you more soon.
There! hist! I see Blodget and Methoto sauntering
this way; and I will retire, lest they become suspicious!”
It was known to some of the Indians, who had
recently been in this region, that there was a small
settlement, about three or four miles above where
they now were, which was not very strongly
-- 289 --
[figure description] Page 289.[end figure description]
fortified, if at all; and scattered around, through that
section of the country, were several isolated farm-houses
also; and it was their present design to attack
these, not far from midnight, expecting an easy conquest
and much plunder as their reward. Their
horses they intended to leave where they were, that
they might be in a proper condition for a long journey
on the following day, and a few of their number
were to remain and guard their camp. They soon
began their preparations for this night expedition;
and as all were eager to go, the guard to be left
behind, five in number, was selected by lot.
It was perhaps a couple of hours after his first
interview with Isaline that evening, that Hampton
again approached her, in a careless, indifferent
manner, as if with no design. She was reclining
under a tree, a little apart from the others; and
passing around behind it, he stopped, with his back
toward her, as if looking off into the forest.
“I am now ready to speak with you again, my
dear, sweet friend!” he said, in a low, guarded tone,
barely audible to her listening ear; “and be very,
very careful that no one hears your voice, or detects
anything in your manner to excite suspicion that we
are holding a secret conversation!”
“Go on!” replied Isaline, without changing her
position, and keeping her eyes fixed upon the nearest
group of Indians.
“Will you escape with me if I show you an opportunity?”
was the question of the other.
-- 290 --
[figure description] Page 290.[end figure description]
“Whither will you take me?”
“Why ask? Will not anywhere be better than
here?”
“It can hardly be worse!” returned Isaline.
“Then I pray you use no unnecessary words, for
the present moments are important!”
“I will escape, if you will show me a way!” replied
Isaline, feeling she had nothing to lose in the
attempt.
“Listen then! The Indians, all except five, will
soon set off on an expedition against some settlers
above here, to re-enact if possible the horrid deeds
of last night. I shall start with them, apparently as
eager for the murderous work as any. I will watch
my chance and slip off from them, and come back
to within a hundred yards of you, in a line directly
behind you as you now recline. There I will imitate
the hooting of an owl. As soon as you hear
the signal, therefore, you will know I am waiting
for you and where. Then, if you can possibly steal
off unperceived, do so; but if, after repeating the
signal twice, with the lapse of half-an-hour between,
you do not come to me, I shall endeavor to create a
disturbance among the horses, in order to draw off
the guard in that direction, which will surely give
you a chance to escape. In any event you must take
the same course, and be careful not to go too far; and
if you do not readily find me, wait in some thicket
till you again hear the signal. Is everything now
understood?”
-- 291 --
[figure description] Page 291.[end figure description]
“As well perhaps as it can be!” answered Isaline.
“Then I will say no more for the present!” rejoined
Hampton; and he quietly sauntered off, as if
in a musing mood..
In the course of another hour the three white
men, and all the Indians except five, struck off
through the forest in single file. The guard that
remained seemed to take but little notice of Isaline,
and sat down together, around where the fire had
been kindled—but which had long since burned
itself out—and fell into familiar conversation, chatting
and laughing and seeming in the best of spirits.
Nearly an hour had passed away in this manner,
and Isaline was watching her foes as well as she
could in the darkness, and tremblingly listening for
the signal, when at last the sound came borne to her
ears from the direction she expected it. It was
either the real cry of the night-bird, or so good an
imitation that the savages detected no difference, for
they took no notice of it. It continued for some
two or three minutes and then stopped; and Isaline
now became greatly agitated, feeling as if life and
liberty might depend upon the next few minutes;
for if she could escape, even with the villain Hampton,
she reasoned he would be compelled to take
her among the whites, after having deserted the
savages; and once again under the protection of the
rough borderers, she might find the getting home to
her father a comparatively easy matter.
Everything now seemed favorable—for the Indian
-- 292 --
[figure description] Page 292.[end figure description]
guard was several yards in front of her, engaged
with matters of their own—and as all around was
dark, and she could slip off unperceived, she might
not be missed for a considerable time. So she said a
short prayer, asking guidance and protection of her
Heavenly Father; and then arose, turned her sad,
sweet face toward the point from which the signal
had come, and glided away through the wood as
noiselessly as a spirit.
-- 293 -- p473-298
CHAPTER XXI. THE DOUBLE ESCAPE.
[figure description] Page 293.[end figure description]
While Isaline Holcombe was yet carefully feeling
her way through the thick undergrowth, a short
distance from the spot where the Indian guard supposed
her to be still, she was both startled and reassured
at hearing her name pronounced in a whisper.
“I am here,” she answered, in the same cautious
manner, at once stopping and holding her breath.
“Come forward, dear lady, and be saved!” were
the next words that fell upon her ear.
Isaline again moved cautiously forward a few
steps, found herself passing out of a clump of
bushes into a more open wood, and dimly perceived
a shadowy figure gliding up to her.
“Thank fortune, Isaline,” again whispered Hampton,
“we are now beyond the reach of our foes—
for from this time forth I shall count all your
enemies mine!”
“But we have not yet escaped from the dreadful
savages!” returned Isaline, with a shudder. “Even
now the Indian guard is within hearing, and may
discover my flight and pursue me at any moment.”
“We have the night to conceal us.”
-- 294 --
[figure description] Page 294.[end figure description]
“But the day will soon follow, and my past experience
is a proof that it is next to impossible to
escape with such bloodhounds on my trail!”
“We must certainly make the best use of our
time!” returned Hampton. “Here, give me your
hand! There! now follow me, and be careful to
make no sound to betray us!”
For some minutes they moved forward together
in silence; and then Isaline found herself in a wild,
gloomy locality, with a few trees and bushes here
and there, and gigantic rocks lifting their craggy
heads far above her in the solemn night, and the
plash of water sounding dismally in her ear.
“Do you know in what part of the country we
are?” she whispered.
“I have understood from Blodget, that this is the
Kentucky river,” answered Hampton, “and that is
really all I do know about it, being a stranger in
this region as well as yourself.”
“And whither do you propose to conduct me?”
“Just at present my sole object is to escape from
the Indians, and then I will let circumstances determine
my course.”
“But you will take me home to my father?” anxiously
inquired Isaline; “or at least put me in a way
to get there?”
“If I possibly can!” answered Hampton.
He should have said, if he could not possibly avoid
it, for the other was the farthest result from his intentions.
He had persuaded her to leave the savages
-- 295 --
[figure description] Page 295.[end figure description]
and escape with him, from a purely selfish motive—
for matters had taken such a turn, that he knew he
would be compelled to see her given over to another
if he remained, and thus his whole dark scheme
would be brought to naught. If he could manage
to get her away by himself, he had some dim idea
that he could either persuade her to marry him in
the country, or eventually get her through the wilderness
to Canada. Beyond this he had no settled
purpose, but had taken the step in a moment of desperation,
trusting that fortune would eventually
work out matters to his advantage.
As the Indians had gone up the river, Hampton
now turned down; and for a couple of hours he led
Isaline forward, in and out among the rocks and beneath
high, precipitous bluffs, till at last they came
to a place where the water flowed along over a stony
margin, close under an overhanging cliff. To continue
on any further in this direction, without first
going back some distance and ascending the steep,
high bank, they would have to either wade through
the water, which was not deep, or pick their way
along on the top of the stones which here and there
lifted their dark heads above it. Hampton explained
this to Isaline, with the remark:
“If we go back, we shall lose a good deal of valuable
time, besides the chance of breaking our trail,
as we may do here if we continue on.”
“But can we continue on without risk of life?”
anxiously inquired Isaline; “and are you sure that
-- 296 --
[figure description] Page 296.[end figure description]
we shall not meet some obstruction in this direction
that will compel us to turn back at last?”
“I am not sure of anything!” gloomily answered
Hampton; “but it seems to me that we ought to
make the trial here and trust something to luck!”
“Rather say Providence!”
“Providence then, if you like the term better!”
“Providence is God,” rejoined Isaline, solemnly,
“Who is working out His own ends with us, as with
all His creatures, in His own inscrutable way!”
“As you will!” said Hampton, rather coldly: “I
am in no mood just now for a religious discussion.
Well, shall we go forward and make the trial?”
“If you think best.”
“Give me your hand then and follow me carefully.”
Hampton now advanced slowly, leading Isaline,
and cautiously stepping from one stone to another,
holding his rifle in his disengaged hand, and occasionally
using it to keep his balance. In this manner
they slowly picked their way forward for some
quarter of a mile, with the water gurgling and plashing
along at their feet, when they came to a point
where their further progress was barred by a huge
rock jutting sharply out into the river. Both looked
up in dismay at the dark object, which stretched up
gloomily for a hundred feet above them, and Hampton
angrily gave utterance to a wicked oath.
“Here you see what your Providence has led us
to!” was his impious complaint.
-- 297 --
[figure description] Page 297.[end figure description]
“Rather say what your own wickedness has led
us to!” sharply reproved Isaline, on whose refined,
religious nature his irreverent language grated most
harshly. “Look back, Charles Hampton, on your
late course of life, and say, if you can, that you have
deserved anything better!”
“But you, with all your nice, pretty piety, have
deserved something better, have you not?” he retorted,
with an angry sneer; “and it appears to be
as bad for you as for me just now.”
“It is not for me to say that I have deserved anything
better,” returned Isaline; “but this I know,
that, notwithstanding all that has happened, I am as
ready now to put my trust in Providence as at any
period of my life. I may lose my life by the
wicked machinations of those around me,” she
solemnly continued, “but I know there is a life
beyond, `where the wicked cease from troubling and
the weary are at rest,' and at least I will try to so
live here as to be prepared for an eternal existence
there!”
“Well,” rejoined Hampton, “you can please yourself
with what fancies you choose; but I'm not agoing
to trouble myself about any life but this—because,
to tell the truth, I don't believe in any other. If
there is any Providence that has led us into this fix,
I should like to see it get us out—and then, and just
to that extent, I will believe in it. If Providence
cares for you, who have so much faith in it, let it
-- 298 --
[figure description] Page 298.[end figure description]
direct you now to escape from the savage crew that
will sooner or later be howling after you!”
“Charles Hampton, do you believe in a God at
all?” asked Isaline, looking full into his troubled
face, by the dim light of the stars, as she stood there,
in that wild, gloomy place, with the huge rocks
frowning above her head and the dark river rolling
sullenly along at her feet.
“No matter what I believe in!” he angrily replied;
“this is no time for catechising! I have
heard there is a God; but it is something I never
troubled myself about, and don't intend to at present.
I know we have got ourselves into difficulty
here; and how to get out of it, in the best manner,
is what most concerns me now. We have either
got to go back, or scale this cliff; and we have got
to do something — quick, or we may soon find
ourselves caught by the infernal Indians, who, considering
that we have been running away from
them, will not be likely to treat either of us in the
most gentle manner. A — pretty fix I am in,”
he continued, with a kind of savage bitterness,
“with every man's hand against me, like a cursed
Ishmaelite, and all because of my wild, mad love
for you, who probably now regard me with abhorrence!
If I fall into the hands of the borderers,
they will doubtless murder me for going over to the
Indians; and if the savages catch me, they may
torture me for running back to the whites; and yet,
-- 299 --
[figure description] Page 299.[end figure description]
Isaline Holcombe, I did both for your sake, and
yours alone—did both that I might save you!”
“At all events,” said Isaline, with a touch of compassion—
for she, it must be borne in mind, knew
nothing of the real secret which influenced his
actions, and had reason to suppose them the unfortunate
result of the passion he professed—“you are
to be pitied; and if you will now conduct me into
the hands of my friends, I promise you my own
forgiveness for the wrong done to me, and will do
all in my power to save you from punishment of any
kind.”
“Well,” sneered the other, “it is something, certainly,
to know that the girl you have distractedly
loved and sacrificed everything for, can afford you
a little pity and even forgiveness for what you have
foolishly done, and that she will do her best not to
have you punished for it! Really, my gratitude is
most profound! and if I do not at once kneel and
pour out my thanks in the most humble manner,
it must be attributed, not to a lack of desire, but to
the fact that the rushing water here below me makes
it so difficult and unpleasant to perform!”
“You are very unreasonable!” returned Isaline.
“I did but speak in accordance with your own assertion,
and now you seem disposed to quarrel with me
for it!”
“Well, perhaps I am unreasonable,” said Hampton,
after a moment's reflection, “for I am a harassed
and disappointed man. Let it pass! and let us give
-- 300 --
[figure description] Page 300.[end figure description]
our whole consideration to our disagreeable predicament
here! Must we go back, and lose so much
valuable time? to say nothing of returning toward
the jaws of danger! Can we not scale this cliff in
some way?”
“Impossible, I think, and certainly dangerous!”
said Isaline.
“Stay you here a minute till I examine it!” he
rejoined.
As he spoke, he moved back a few feet, close up
to the base of the huge rock; and then, to the
astonishment of Isaline, he suddenly disappeared
from her view, as if he had vanished into thin air.
She waited two or three minutes, wondering at the
mystery, and then pronounced his name. No
answer. She repeated it in a louder tone. Still no
answer. A chilly feeling of alarm, deepened by
awe, began to steal over her. What did it, what
could it, mean? Had he sunk into the water? or
fallen into a pit? While she yet stood looking,
thrilled by a strange kind of fear, she was more
than ever mystified and startled at seeing something
like a spark of fire move slowly about, as if in the
centre of the huge black rock. Soon it disappeared,
and all was dark again. Isaline began to tremble,
but kept her eyes riveted on the same place, with a
weird-like fascination. More minutes went by, and
she still stood there, growing cold and marble-like.
Then the spark of fire reappeared, and seemed to be
coming toward her from the depth of the rock.
-- 301 --
[figure description] Page 301.[end figure description]
She would have turned and fled now, but she had
no power. She felt herself spell-bound by the mystery.
The next minute, however, she experienced a
thrill of relief at hearing her name pronounced by
the voice of Hampton; and immediately after his
form appeared, coming out of the darkness.
“I must confess,” he said, “your Providence has
done more for us than I expected! I have discovered
a cave here, that for the present may afford
us the security we are seeking. I struck a light,
and explored it for some distance; and would have
gone further, only that I did not care to burn up my
pine splints, and was afraid you would become
alarmed at my absence.”
This explained the whole mystery to Isaline, who
drew a long breath of relief, though the sudden reaction
left her weak and trembling.
“But what advantage will this cave be to us?”
she asked.
“I think we had better conceal ourselves in it
while there may be any danger of pursuit from the
Indians!” he replied.
“But may they not trace us to this place?”
“If they were to make the attempt and take time
enough, unquestionably they could do so,” answered
Hampton; “but you must bear in mind, my dear
girl, that their motive for recapture is not a very
strong one—that they are in an enemy's country—
and that they know there is already an avenging
force of Kentuckians on their trail. They may
-- 302 --
[figure description] Page 302.[end figure description]
follow on our trail in the morning; but the moment
they find any difficulty in tracing us—as I think
they will, if they come to the point where we passed
under this cliff—it is my opinion they will abandon
the search and push on to save themselves.”
“Similar calculations of safety were made when
I was pursued before,” rejoined Isaline, “and yet
they only served to prolong the time of capture.”
“Yes, but how different the circumstances!” returned
Hampton. “In that case the pursuers felt
in no danger of being pursued; and, more than that,
I myself was with them, urging them on whenever
their zeal began to slacken. Had it not been for
me, I think they would have abandoned the chase
with the close of the first day.”
“And yet,” rejoined Isaline, in a sharp, angry
tone, “you have had the assurance to stand up before
me, and seek my approval, sympathy and gratitude,
for having got yourself into difficulty in trying to
save me! In trying to save me from what, in
Heaven's name? From the hands of my friends, to
put me into the hands of my enemies?”
“Oh, now you are trying to see everything in a
distorted light!” muttered Hampton. “But I'm not
agoing to argue the matter with you! If you don't
choose to understand it, as I have explained it, then
think what you like, and make the most of it!
Whenever you are ready, I will conduct you into
the cave, and do what I can to guard you from
danger!”
-- 303 --
[figure description] Page 303.[end figure description]
“I am ready now!” returned Isaline.
Hampton gave her his hand, and led her forward
in silence. The mouth of the cave was narrow, and
scarcely higher than their heads; and Isaline shuddered
as she passed through it, with such a conductor,
into the awful darkness beyond. A man without
principle, or belief in a God, or a Hereafter—what
assurance could she have against violence at his
hands?
“From what little I saw of this cavern, I think it
is large, and extends far back,” he said; “but we
will not attempt to explore it now. Here, it is my
opinion, we had better pass the night, and, if possible,
I want you to get some sleep. Fortunately I
have a blanket with me—having first hid it in the
wood, before I set off with the Indians, and recovered
it after my return—and if you will wrap
yourself up in it and lie down here, I will keep
guard over you till morning.”
In how many ways did this present flight from
the Indians remind Isaline of the other! and yet in
one respect how vastly different! The form that
was a pleasure to her sight, the voice that was a
melody in her soul, the great, brave, true noble
heart, beating only for her, were wanting, and had
no resemblance in the form here that would stand
between her and danger, the voice here that could
speak tender words, or the heart here that professed
its love. With Henry Colburn it would be
-- 304 --
[figure description] Page 304.[end figure description]
happiness for her to share danger—with Charles Hampton
it would be misery for her to share safety.
To the proposition of Hampton, that she should
lie down and endeavor to get some sleep, Isaline
offered no objection—for as well sleep, she thought,
as remain awake—better, in fact, if she could refresh
nature and get rid of some painful hours. So She
felt out a suitable place on the rocky floor of the
cavern, and was soon at rest in body and oblivious
to the troubles that had so oppressed her.
When Isaline next awoke, it was not only broad
daylight, but she could see the sun shining low down
on the rocks on the opposite side of the river, showing
that nearly half of the morning had passed
away. She looked around, and perceived her companion
and guard stretched out asleep, a few feet
from her, with his face resting on his arms and his
rifle by his side. She spoke to him, but he did not
hear her; and not particularly caring to disturb him,
she arose and went to the water, which came up to
the very mouth of the cave, and washed her face and
hands and smoothed out her hair.
Then the idea suddenly came into her mind to
escape from Hampton. Why not? There seemed
to be a good opportunity, and she somehow felt she
had nearly as much to fear from him as from a savage.
He might be less brutal, but more wicked. She
looked around at him. He had not moved, and was
still asleep. In an instant her mind was settled.
-- 305 --
[figure description] Page 305.[end figure description]
She would make the trial, and trust to that Providence
at which he was so disposed to sneer.
At first she thought of hiding herself in the cavern.
She could see it was large, with different passages
extending far back into the darkness, with niches
and angles and secret places in every direction; but
if she were to conceal herself there, might it not be
difficult for her to get out without being discovered?
to say nothing of the danger of becoming so bewildered
among the many turnings as not to be able to
find her way to the entrance again! Why not fly
at once, through the shallow water, along the base
of the cliff, back to some point where she could
clamber up the high, steep bank and gain the forest?
Suppose Hampton were to follow and overtake her?
she would only be his prisoner again as now; but
then suppose she could reach the wood without
being discovered, what little chance would one of his
limited experience in wilderness life have of pursuing
her trail -with the rapid certainty necessary to a
capture? What he had said of the Indians was
probably correct, and there might be little to be
feared from them, and possibly quite as much where
she was as there would be elsewhere. But then
again, supposing herself secured against pursuit,
might she not get lost in the forest, and be unable to
find her way to any habitation, and either starve to
death or be destroyed by some wild beast? Yet
why think more and calculate on unknown chances?
There was danger here, there, everywhere, with God
-- 306 --
[figure description] Page 306.[end figure description]
over all; and why not put her trust in Him and rush
blindly forward? certain only that she must be justified
in seeking to free herself from the clutches of
villains and barbarians and preserve her own life.
All these thoughts, that have taken so much space
to record, were but as one thought with Isaline—
flashing through her brain in an instant—and almost
the next moment she was acting on her resolution,
and was leaving the cave in the manner she had approached
it, by stepping from one stone to another.
This she continued to do for some time; and then
dropped down into the water, which was barely a
foot in depth near the shore, and went splashing forward,
in breathless haste, every moment or two
glancing back to see if she was pursued.
Having reached the point where she could leave
the water, she was still obliged to keep along the
base of a high, rocky bluff, for a distance of half a
mile, before she could find a slope that would permit
her to climb to the wood above; and then she had
to creep up slowly, holding on to bushes, and occasionally
pulling herself up short, perpendicular
ascents. In this way she finally gained the top,
panting and trembling, and there sat down, to get
her breath and a few minutes' rest. With an appetite
rendered keen by long fasting and exercise, she
now ate, with sufficient relish, the food she had reserved
for a time of need, and then found her hunger
in a great measure appeased and herself much
strengthened for the work before her.
-- 307 --
[figure description] Page 307.[end figure description]
The scene about her was grand, picturesque and
beautiful—with the rocky bluffs, the hills, the dales,
the woods, the glades, and the dark blue river winding
round among them all—but Isaline had no time
and thought for anything beyond her own condition.
Here she was now, a poor, unprotected girl, alone in
the great, almost pathless, wilderness, seeking to
escape from dusky savages and white villains, exposed
to the perils from wild beasts and serpents
and the danger of starvation; and this was enough
for all the thoughts of her poor, throbbing brain.
After a short rest, and an earnest prayer for protection
and deliverance, she started up to resume
her flight.
“The right way, O Heavenly Father!” she again
prayed; “let my trembling steps be directed in the
right way! that I may now be saved, and not again
fall into the hands of my enemies!”
At that moment she heard, or fancied she heard,
her name called by a distant voice—the voice, as
she believed, of Charles Hampton—and she trembled
in every limb.
“He must not find me!” she thought; “I must
not fall into the hands of that dark, wicked man
again!” and she started and ran forward into the
thick wood; and then continued to run on, knowing
nothing of the way she went, nor whither her steps
were leading her.
Poor Isaline had struggled on for half an hour,
and was still pressing forward, under dark trees and
-- 308 --
[figure description] Page 308.[end figure description]
through thick bushes, when her progress was suddenly
arrested, her breath suspended, and her heart
seemingly stilled, by a series of wild, savage yells,
fierce shouts, and the sharp rattle of fire-arms. The
sounds appeared not to be very distant, even at first,
and gradually drew nearer to where the poor girl
stood. Her frightened senses were not very clear,
but still she comprehended that a desperate battle
had just begun between the whites and Indians.
The Kentuckians had probably pursued and just
come up with their enemies; and here, in her very
presence, as it were, upon ground to which she had
been strangely impelled, the bloody contest was
already taking place which would result in triumph
to friend or foe! If friend, she would be saved! if
foe, she might be lost! And then, thoughts of all
thoughts—to try every nerve, increase every emotion,
and strain almost to bursting her already dizzy
brain—what if Henry Colburn were here in the
strife, and the good God should be pleased to grant
victory to him, and permit the poor captive and
wanderer once more to rest in his protecting arms,
against his manly breast, behold once more his noble
face, and hear once more that voice which was
music to her soul? Or again, what if she should
find him overpowered and slain, or a prisoner in
savage hands, and know all hope and joy in this life
lost forever? Ah! God in Heaven vouchsafe the
one and avert the other!
-- 309 -- p473-314
CHAPTER XXII. A STRANGE MEETING.
[figure description] Page 309.[end figure description]
The yells and shouts and roar of musketry grew
louder and louder in the ear of the trembling Isaline.
The storm of battle was clearly rolling up
toward the point where she stood. What was to
be done? To remain was to be involved in the
contending forces, and to fly was perhaps to run
into new danger—to escape it might be from friend
to foe. Concealment seemed to promise most, and
this was offered on the spot. An immense tree had
been blown down just before her, and some of its
roots were high above her head. A large hollow
or cavity had thus been formed in the earth, and
this was now filled with brambles. Down in this
hollow, close up to the clinging roots of the tree,
with the yielding brambles shutting her in, Isaline
thought would be the safest place she could find,
and she hastened to put herself there.
Nearer and still nearer rolled up the storm of
battle. The yells grew louder, the shouts grew
louder, the ring of rifles sharper, and now and then
was heard the heavy groan or the shrill cry of pain.
It appeared as if, while fighting desperately, one
party was slowly falling back before the other; but
-- 310 --
[figure description] Page 310.[end figure description]
which was pushing on in triumph, Isaline had no
means of knowing. Nearer and still nearer came
the sounds of furious contest; and at last, peering
out from her place of concealment, she began to
catch glimpses of white men, dodging from tree to
tree, loading and firing, and then suddenly falling
back, as if pressed upon by superior numbers in
front.
The knowledge thus gained was most painful to
Isaline, for it seemed to prove that the savages were
gradually becoming masters of the field; and the
bright ray of hope that had suddenly sprung up in
her breast, was already beginning to fade out into
the darkness of despair.
In a few minutes more the contest appeared to be
directly around her, on every side, and she could
now and then distinguish the supporting and cheering
words of the brave Kentuckians, while the
horrid yells and screeches of the savages seemed to
curdle her blood.
Suddenly she became aware of a personal contest
within a few feet of her. A white man and a
savage had grappled and were swaying to and fro
on the verge of the pit in which she was concealed.
Each seemed struggling to throw the other; and
now they bent and staggered this way and now that—
one moment pressing up so as to stir the brambles
over her head, and the next falling back some two or
three paces. From her position, Isaline could not
see their features, nor even the upper portion of
-- 311 --
[figure description] Page 311.[end figure description]
their bodies; but she somehow felt as if it were a
death-struggle between friend and foe, and that her
fate was involved in the contest; and she trembled
and held her breath, with her hands pressed upon
her heart. Still they rocked and swayed, and stumbled
to and fro, till at last the foot of the white man
extended beyond the broken earth; and then, failing
support, he fell backward upon the brambles,
and came crashing down through them, just grazing
the head of Isaline, with the panting and furious
savage directly on the top of him.
Involuntarily, and we may add unconsciously,
Isaline now uttered a wild, prolonged, piercing
scream—a scream not unlike that made by the
Phantom—and which went echoing and re-echoing
far away through the leafy aisles of the forest.
Fortunately it fell upon superstitious ears, and the
effect was magical. The savage so near to the
frightened girl, started up, with a yell of terror,
scrambled out of the pit, and bounded away; other
similar yells were heard in various directions; the
white men shouted to each other and their voices
soon grew distant; the firing and noise of conflict
ceased; and in the course of two or three minutes
the wood around had become as still as if no bloody
conflict had ever taken place within its solemn
depths.
Isaline was thus left in the bramble-pit, with only
the body of a white man by her side. Perhaps a
dead body—for it did not stir and gave no sign of
-- 312 --
[figure description] Page 312.[end figure description]
life. Neither did she—for the shock of fright had
so acted upon her overstrained, nervous system as
to suddenly deprive her of consciousness. She had
swooned. And thus the two lay side by side, with
the yielding brambles closed around and above
them, as the dead might lay.
After the lapse of a few minutes, Isaline began to
revive. At first she was confused and bewildered,
and could not recollect where she was, nor what had
occurred to place her in that strange situation.
Then, just as she began to have a clear comprehension
of the startling truth, a dull, heavy groan
sounded in her ear. The man beside her then was
wounded—perhaps dying—but not yet dead! Poor
fellow! what could she do for him? and what might
she dare do for him? for as yet she knew nothing
of the effect produced by her shriek of terror, and
still supposed herself surrounded by savage enemies.
What had become of his dusky adversary? was her
mental query; and why was all around her so silent?
Had she indeed been unconscious for a long time?
and was the battle indeed over? and who were the
victors?
Another groan from the man beside her appealed
directly to her tender, sympathetic, womanly nature.
A fellow-being, who had bravely fought, (perhaps
for her,) might be dying for the want of attention
and care—such attention and care as it was in her
power to bestow—and she now gave her whole
thought to him. Carefully she pushed back the
-- 313 --
[figure description] Page 313.[end figure description]
brambles and raised herself over him; and then,
nerving herself for a horrid sight, and such work as
it might be in her woman's power to perform, she
carefully parted and pushed aside the brambles that
concealed his face and body from her view.
Mereiful God!
For a few moments Isaline Holcombe had no
power of volition; her breath became suspended;
her face colorless, even to her lips; her muscles rigid—
her features stony—her eyes glaring! Then,
with a great cry—great in its expression of agonized
emotion, that welled up and rushed outward from
the innermost depths of her being—she fell forward
and clasped, with the embrace of a love eternal as
immortal existence, the insensible form of Henry
Colburn!
Thus had they been drawn together to meet again.
Was it Providence?
Tears came to the relief of Isaline—tears came
and saved her: or reason might have left her—or
soul and body might have parted: for unutterable
joy, or unutterable grief, results sometimes in insanity
or death.
While Isaline wept, with her arms clasping Henry
and her lips pressed to his, consciousness returned
to him: as if his spirit, hovering about its mortal
tenement and ready to take its eternal flight, had
been forced back and secured by the strongest of
earthly powers. Consciousness returned to him, and
he opened his eyes, to behold what his mental
-- 314 --
[figure description] Page 314.[end figure description]
faculties were not prepared to comprehend and believe.
Was he dreaming? or was the idol of his soul
within his embrace?
“Isaline!” he murmured, and trembled with the
sweet word, lest the ecstatic vision should suddenly
dissolve and be no more.
“Oh, Henry!” burst widly and rapturously from
the quivering lips of the devoted girl, and was followed
by a flood of tears. “Oh! God in Heaven be
praised that you do live!”
Henry clasped his arms around her, and strained
her to his heart, in a strange, incomprehensible
delirium of joy.
For some time neither spoke again. It seemed
to be enough for them to know that each lived in
the other's arms—each lived in the other's soul.
Isaline was the first to break the rapturous silence.
“Oh, Henry,” she cried, in sudden alarm, “Heaven
forgive me for forgetting that you are wounded!
that you may be dying!”
“Wounded, dearest angel?” he answered, with a
wondering look at her, and a quick, puzzled glance
around him. “Wounded? I? Where am I? and
what has happened? and where did you come from?
and how came we both here in this thicket?”
“Before I answer your many questions, dear
Henry,” replied Isaline, “let me find your wound
and bind it up; and get the assurance, if our kind
Father in Heaven will grant me so much happiness,
-- 315 --
[figure description] Page 315.[end figure description]
that you are not now about to be snatched from me
by death!”
“I think you are mistaken, dear Isaline, in supposing
that I am wounded!” returned Henry.
“Why then were you so long unconscious, after
falling down here, with the savage fairly upon you?”
“The savage?—yes—ha! I recollect now. My
companions and I were engaged in a battle with the
Indians, who outnumbered us; and they were driving
us back—when—what?—let me think!—ha! yes—
I encountered one single-handed; and we grappled
and wrestled; and I fell down—down—down—I
know not where.”
“Here,” said Isaline, “almost upon my very head!
It was here you fell, dear Henry. I witnessed the
awful struggle, and saw you come crashing down
here, (though I little dreamed then it was you,) upon
the very spot where now you lie, with the savage
fairly upon you; and then I lost my senses, which
have just returned again, to show you here by my
side.”
“Here?” exclaimed Henry; “was the fight here,
do you say? Then where are the combatants now?
Where are my friends and where are my foes? and
what has become of the Indian I struggled with?
and who, as you say, fell upon me.”
“Ah, Henry, I know no more than yourself.
When you fell, there was fighting all around us; but
what followed, after the world turned dark to me, I
do not know, nor how long a time has elapsed since
-- 316 --
[figure description] Page 316.[end figure description]
then. I only know that, when I came to myself,
all was still here till I heard you groan. Oh, do,
pray, see if you are not wounded! for if not, why
should you have been unconscious for so long a
time?”
As no wound could be found upon the person of
Henry—none at least more serious than here and
there a scratch and a bruise—the conclusion was
arrived at that he had been stunned in falling—
which was in a measure confirmed by the discovery
that his head in one place was much swollen and
tender to the touch. His face too still exhibited
some marks of the brutal treatment he had received
from Blodget and Hampton. After the examination
had been carefully made, Isaline breathed again;
and even ventured to hope, though with fear and
trembling, that all might yet be well with them.
“It is very strange,” said Henry, “that friends
and foes should all have left this ground so soon
after the fight! for I can see, by the position of the
sun, that no great length of time has elapsed since
the struggle. Ha!” he added, “I think I understand
it now! The whites have probably been
vanquished, and the Indians have gone in pursuit
of them! If so, the savages may come back again
to search the ground for plunder and untaken
scalps!”
“Oh, God forbid!” gasped Isaline; “for I am
sure it would be death to me to again fall into their
hands!”
-- 317 --
[figure description] Page 317.[end figure description]
“And you must not!” said Henry, with a shudder.
“Oh, God of mercy, you must not!—sooner would I
die to save you from such a fate!”
“But do not forget yourself, my noble, generous
friend!” returned Isaline; “do not forget that those
cruel beings would treat you even worse than me!
for while I might be doomed only to rough, harsh
usage, you would certainly be decreed to die at the
stake, in the most agonizing tortures! Oh, I tremble
to think what we have just escaped from! And oh!
how wonderfully, mysteriously, miraculously, we
have been preserved through all our perils and
brought together again!”
“Most wonderfully, most mysteriously, most
miraculously indeed!” said Henry. “Ah, my dear,
dear Isaline, pray tell me what has happened to
you? what terrible trials and sufferings and agonies
you have gone through since we parted before the
station, and I left you in the hands of two white
devils, to say nothing of their savage friends? and
how you came to be here in this pit, to receive me,
like a guardian angel, when my enemy hurled me
down, as he believed, to destruction? Oh, it is all
so strange and wonderful, that even now I can hardly
credit my senses, and am led to fear it is all a dream,
from which I, too, too soon shall wake!”
“Henry,” observed Isaline, solemnly, “it was
Providence that preserved and brought us together,
and Providence is God! That accounts for all—for
His ways are not as our ways, and His secrets are
-- 318 --
[figure description] Page 318.[end figure description]
past finding out. But Henry, my dearest friend,”
she added, glaneing timidly around and up through
the brambly screen, “have we time to remain here
and recount our adventures? Are we safe here?
Shall we not be in danger of recapture in case the
enemy return as you fear?”
“That is what I must consider at once!” replied
Henry. “Remain here, perfectly quiet, while I go
and reconnoitre.”
“Oh, you will be very careful, very prudent,
Henry?” anxiously spoke Isaline, as he cautiously
stretched himself up through the dense thicket to
peer about him.
“My darling, I will!” he answered. “I will not
forget that much of all we both have suffered, was
the result of my carelessness; and God forgive me,
if, with your sweet self in my care, I ever forget the
lesson I then learned!”
Henry first peered about the wood from his place
of concealment; and then, again cautioning Isaline
to remain perfectly quiet and not expose herself to
the chance view of any one, under any circumstances,
he crept carefully up from the pit, out into the more
open forest, leaving her, pale and trembling, to pray
for his safe return.
He was only absent a few minutes from her side,
and brought back with him two rifles.
“Here is a mystery which I cannot solve!” he
said in a whisper, as with great care he drew together
the bent and parted brambles over head, so that it
-- 319 --
[figure description] Page 319.[end figure description]
might appear to a casual eye that they had not been
disturbed. “When the savage and myself, with
both our pieces discharged, suddenly encountered
for that death struggle, which so providentially resulted
in placing me by the side of the only being on
earth I truly love, (for great events have been so ordered
that I dare speak thus to you now, my darling,)
we threw aside our larger weapons, and I have
now found both on the ground where they fell.
The question therefore arises, what has become of
the Indian with whom I fought? I remember of
being grappled with him, and struggling hard for
some considerable time, and of finally falling what
appeared to me a long, long way downward—though
the distance, it seems, was only a few feet; but if he
kept hold of me, as you say he did, what can have
become of him? and how is it—since, as we see, he
had strength enough left to get off—he did not kill
and scalp us both while we were in his power?”
“It seems to me now,” answered Isaline, reflecting,
“as if I might have uttered a wild cry, or
shriek, at the moment—but I am not sure. Would
that have been sufficient to have frightened him off,
Henry?”
“Perhaps--if, like the scouts, he had any superstitious
fears concerning the Phantom.”
“Oh, yes,” rejoined Isaline, quickly, “the Phantom
has actually appeared among the Indians. I saw it
myself, and they heard it, and they fear it, and think
it is an Evil Spirit!”
-- 320 --
[figure description] Page 320.[end figure description]
“Ha! perhaps then,” said Henry, jumping directly
at the truth, “you did utter a wild cry! (what more
likely?) and both whites and savages, mistaking the
sound for that of the object of their dread, at once
fled in dismay. This would certainly account for
their sudden departure, and is the most rational explanation
I can think of.”
“But even granting your conjecture to be the
correct one, Henry, is there no danger of their
coming back here soon?” anxiously inquired Isaline.
“Much may depend on circumstances.”
“And if they should, are we safe here? are we
concealed here from their sharp, prying eyes?”
“If we keep perfectly still and silent, I am inclined
to believe we may not be discovered: at least,
dear Isaline, I think we are quite as safe here as we
can be anywhere in this region. If we were to
attempt a hurried flight through the forest, we might
run into danger instead of running from it—the
eyes of some scouting savage might fall upon us
and thus seal our doom.”
“You think then we had better remain here,
Henry?”
“For the present, dearest—perhaps through the
day, to set off under cover of darkness. I have so
arranged these brambles over our heads, that I do
not think any eye will be sufficiently attracted to
them to cause any search to be made underneath.”
“But should the Indian you fought with return,
-- 321 --
[figure description] Page 321.[end figure description]
would he not be likely to look into this thicket, to
see if his foe be still here?”
“Perhaps. Still I cannot but think, dear Isaline,
since we have been so wonderfully preserved and
brought together, that a way will be provided for us
to be saved. If we can only remain here undiscovered
till night, and you find yourself able to
endure the fatigues of a ten-mile journey, with God's
help I will conduct you to a stronghold where you
will no longer be in danger from the barbarians of
the wilderness!”
“Are we indeed within ten miles of a station,
Henry?”
“The distance is not greater—it may be less.”
“And you know the way, Henry?”
“So well, dear Isaline, that I can easily lead you
thither after dark.”
“Oh, Heaven send us that deliverance!”
“And Heaven will, I do believe.”
Henry now cautiously proceeded to load the two
rifles, and place them in a position where they could
be grasped in an instant. This done, he gently
passed his arm around the slender form of Isaline,
drew her fondly to him, and looking, with the eye
of saddened love, full into her pale, sweet, lovely
countenance, said tenderly:
“Isaline, my darling, now let me hear your tale
of suffering since we parted—that parting, my sweet
angel, that almost broke my heart—when I flew
away from you as if I were a coward—but only
-- 322 --
[figure description] Page 322.[end figure description]
that I might save you in the end, or come back as
your avenger!”
“A parting,” said Isaline, “that thrilled me with
joy unspeakable, because of the belief that you
might pass beyond the reach of your foes!”
“God bless you, my own!” returned Henry, impulsively
drawing the noble girl to his heart, and
impressing upon her sweet lips a seal of deep, pure,
holy love.
Trembling with happiness, with hope, and with
fear—with the warm blood mounting upward and
giving the whole face a radiant glow—or falling
back to the heart and leaving an icy pallor in its
place—in accordance with the powerful and conflicting
emotions that controlled her—Isaline began and
told her tale.
Henry listened with intense and breathless interest,
with a wildly beating heart, and with his feelings
and passions so strongly stirred that he could
not all the time keep silent, but was occasionally
forced to interrupt the sweet narrator with an exclamation
of anger, or of pity, or to ask some important
question.
Among other things, the Phantom excited his
interest and curiosity to a wonderful degree; but
though his speculations failed to solve the mystery,
they tended to convince him that it was some strange
animal—perhaps of an unknown genus or species.
Isaline, however, who had seen it, under the strong
excitement of awe and fear, was not prepared to
-- 323 --
[figure description] Page 323.[end figure description]
agree with him, because it had suddenly vanished
from her sight; and how could a mere animal vanish?
“Optical illusion,” explained Henry, who was
something of a philosopher as well as artist. “Remember
the hour, my dear Isaline, the dull gray
of morning—the distance of the object from where
you were lying—the excited state of your feelings,
affecting your vision—and then the scene, so every
way favorable to a sudden disappearance by the
dropping of the Thing to the ground, or its quick
gliding behind a tree, or its pushing into a thicket.”
“No, Henry, it vanished!” persisted Isaline. Like
most persons who have seen anything wonderful or
marvellous, its mysterious properties had with Isaline
been rather increased than lessened by subsequent
reflection. “I was looking directly at it, had
not for a moment taken my eyes from it, when it
suddenly vanished, as if into air.”
“Well, let it pass for the present, for I am anxious
to hear the rest of your painful story, dear Isaline,”
said Henry, knowing how useless it would be
to argue against an illusive conviction without substantial
proof to sustain his points.
Isaline went on to the conclusion, and her eventful
narration affected Henry in the manner described.
During some of the details concerning Methoto and
Hampton, he could not keep himself passive; and
unconsciously his fingers clutched at his throat, as
if his anger were choking him, or hovered
-- 324 --
[figure description] Page 324.[end figure description]
convulsively around the haft of his knife, while his lips not
unfrequently parted with a bitter, threatening exclamation.
The final result, however—the bringing
of himself and the being he loved together in so
strange a manner—tended to soothe and soften down
his revengeful irritation, and inspire him with a feeling
of reverential awe; so that at last he bowed his
head humbly, and said so emnly:
“It was the hand of God!”
At the urgent request of Isaline, Henry now told
the story of his own adventures, after his escape
from his captors before the station; but these we
will not dwell upon. He had fortunately soon met
with a large body of armed Kentuckians, who had
been brought to the rescue from a distant station by
Rough Tom; and he had subsequently been provided
with arms and clothing, and had joined in the
pursuit of the flying Indians. Rough Tom had received
him with the wildest demonstrations of joy,
as one who had come back from the dead; and
learning from him that Isaline was a captive, the
rough woodman had, in his characteristic manner,
sworn to rescue her or lose his own scalp. Night
soon coming on, they had not been able to pursue
the Indians far that day, but had started on their
trail at the break of morn. When they reached the
place where the Indians had divided, their own
force had also divided, and a part had followed each
trail—Henry and the scouts pursuing the larger
party, because they had discovered that Isaline had
-- 325 --
[figure description] Page 325.[end figure description]
been taken along with the main body. Subsequently
their force, large enough at that time to
have overpowered the savages, had again been divided,
the other division striking off to the northward,
toward the Ohio, with the view of alarming the country
in that direction and effectually cutting the Indians
off from that river when they should attempt
to leave the country in that direction, as it was supposed
they soon would. By pushing on rapidly,
giving themselves little rest, the direct pursuers,
some twenty in number, had succeeded in overtaking
the savages on the present morning, and the battle
in which Isaline had so strangely been involved had
been the immediate result. At the time of the attack,
about half of the Indians were mounted; but
these had quickly given their horses in charge of a
few—who had taken them, with the plunder they
were carrying, beyond the reach of the flying bullets—
and then all had joined in the contest, fighting
with a desperation that was giving them an assurance
of victory at the moment Henry lost his senses
in the manner shown. He knew that some had
been killed and wounded on both sides; but what
had since become of the living or dead, of course
he could not say.
“When we first came up with the Indians, dear
Isaline,” said Henry, “I eagerly looked for you; but
not seeing you among them, I had reason to suppose
you had been killed; and then, with such mental
anguish as tongue cannot express, I sternly resolved
-- 326 --
[figure description] Page 326.[end figure description]
that while a single savage lived I would not come
out of the fight alive; and that was the cause of my
reckless desperation, of which you were to some extent
a witness.”
“Ah, my dear, dear friend,” returned Isaline, “it
is fortunate I then little dreamed that the white man
I saw struggling with the Indian was yourself—
though I thought it possible you might be in the
fight—or I fear I should have impulsively rushed
out from my hiding-place, and probably both of us
would have been destroyed.”
“God bless you, my darling!” ejaculated Henry,
again pressing the lovely maiden to his heart.
“How well everything was ordered for the salvation
of us both!” he reverently added. “Ah, yes, dear
Isaline, I truly see the hand of God in all!”
There was a long, solemn pause, during which
both, with souls full of gratitude for their wonderful
preservation, offered up silent prayers of thanksgiving.
“Was Rough Tom with you when the fight commenced?”
at length inquired Isaline.
“Yes, he and the scouts that came with you down
the Ohio, and a dozen or so of other borderers that
you do not know. Ah! old Tom may be rough, as
his sobriquet implies,” said Henry, with an enthusiastic
glow, “but his heart is true to his friends, and
I shall never forget his eager determination to rescue
the colonel's daughter, as he calls you.”
-- 327 --
[figure description] Page 327.[end figure description]
“Heaven bless him!” ejaculated Isaline; “and I
hope and pray no harm has befallen him!”
“God forbid!” said Henry, quickly; “for rough
and unlettered as he is, I have not in all this wide
world a friend to supply his place. I have not told
you what I learned from him since we met—that he
was on his way back from the train in search of us,
when he saw the tornado tear through the wood
before him, and believed we were both involved in
it and destroyed—notwithstanding which, he went
on, as soon as the storm was over, and, while picking
his way through the fallen timbers, discovered
the Indians. He then fled back to the train, which
he found at the ford, with the water so raised that
it could only be crossed by swimming over the
horses. He gave the alarm—and a wild, terrific
one it was—and had barely succeeded in getting
the whole party across, when the savages appeared
on the opposite bank and fired a volley over, killing
a little child. Only for his turning back to seek
us, the whole number would either have been killed
or captured—for they would not have attempted to
cross the river in its swollen state, and the Indians
would have had them at their mercy.”
“Ah, Providence again!” said Isaline; “do you
not see? If we had not turned off from our companions,
no one would have turned back to seek us,
the Indians would not have been discovered, the
ford would not have been crossed, and all would
have been involved in one common ruin.”
-- 328 --
[figure description] Page 328.[end figure description]
“True! true! true!” slowly and thoughtfully replied
Henry. “Yes, I see, dear Isaline—I see!
Such are the mysterious ways of Providence indeed!”
“Do you know if my poor girls reached the fort
in safety?” inquired Isaline.
“Yes, and they are almost inconsolable for the loss
of their sweet mistress.”
“Poor dear things!” sighed Isaline; “I believe
they truly love me!”
It was the design of Henry, as we have shown,
that he and Isaline should if possible remain in their
place of concealment through the day, and set off
after dark to find their way to the nearest station;
and in pursuance of this plan they had passed a
couple of hours together, in undisturbed happiness,
when, alas! a series of events took place which were destined to plunge them into the deepest depths of
wretchedness and woe.
-- 329 -- p473-334
CHAPTER XXIII. GATHERING TO DOOM.
[figure description] Page 329.[end figure description]
Although it is well known to every student of
history that great panics in battle have resulted from
the most trivial causes, and great armies by such
means have been put to rout and dynasties overthrown,
yet we do not recollect another instance
where the shriek of a frightened woman put an end
to a fierce contest and sent the whole number of
combatants flying in different directions. Yet the
effect of superstition on rude, unlettered minds, is
such as to render men, who are ordinarily brave
enough to face danger and death like Stoics, mere
trembling, quaking cowards in the presence of some
simple mystery which they cannot fathom.
The fight between the Kentuckians and Indians
ceased suddenly with Isaline's wild cry of terror,
and then each party turned and fled swiftly from
the enchanted ground. The whites ran one way
and the savages another, and neither party stopped
till some two or three miles had been placed between
them and the field of battle.
Among the borderers Rough Tom was acting as
leader; and though one of the fastest runners at first,
-- 330 --
[figure description] Page 330.[end figure description]
he gradually slackened his pace, and at last came to
a sudden stop, and bellowed out:
“Halt, boys, and let the Phantom be —! for the
furder I runs the meaner I feels. Wh-e-w! woofh!
wagh! shagh! whar's the use? Come around me,
boys, and let's see who's missing! How many's
he-yar?”
A count showed only fifteen.
“Six gone!” roared Tom, with a tremendous oath;
“six good fellers used up by them — greasy, paintdaubed,
nigger-faced, owdacious, rum-guzzled, cantankerous,
thieving devils! And we've run away
and let'em off, hey? By thunder, I'm agwine back
fur revenge! and I'll hev it, ef I has to swim the
Ohio to git it! Whar's Harry Colburn?”
No one had seen him since the fight.
“What!” yelled Tom; “he gone ag'in? and the
colonel's darter not found eyther! By —! this
he-yar's a lettle too much for a Christian, by a long—
sight, and a'most tempts a feller to sw'ar!”
In fact it would seem it even did tempt Tom to
swear—for he certainly managed to get rid of about
a dozen oaths, that, in the mouth of any one else,
would have sounded very much like profanity.
A consultation of the borderers resulted in a determination
to go back and reconnoitre the field of battle.
“S'pose it war the Phantom,” said Tom, beginning
to bring a little philosophy to his aid, and
really ashamed of the manner in which he had
-- 331 --
[figure description] Page 331.[end figure description]
conducted himself; “s'pose it war the Phantom, boys,
and be — to it! It haint hurt nobody yit, as I
knows on; and who's agwine to make a cussed fool
of hisself, and run away from everything what takes
a notion to screech and yell in the forest, hey? Has
we been fotched up in the woods to be skeered at
owls, hey? It looks like it, by Judas! I've heerd
the — thing a good many times; I've had it light
right on top o' my back onct, with its eyes of fire
and breath o' brimstone, and all that; and I've done
a heap of tall walking to git out of it's way; but ef
ever I does it ag'in, just feed me on green persimmons,
camp me on rattle-snakes, and rub me down
with briers! Woofh! whar's the use? Boys, thar's
nothing in it,—no, sir—not a — thing! Look
he'yar! didn't it skeer us all nigh to death—all of
us as was thar, I mean—the night of the duel? and
didn't it git arter that infarnal, dandyfied, monkey-eyed,
finiky slink of a coward—that ar' Hampton—
that oughter been killed? and didn't we say the
Devil had got him, and that he'd never come back,
and sich like? and didn't he git off and jine the red-niggers,
and put all these devils on to our trail, and he
hisself overhaul Harry and the colonel's darter?
Whew! Whar's the use o' heving a Phantom, ef it
can't put sich hellyuns as him out o' the way when
it gits arter 'em? I don't believe in't no more; and
I'm agwine back, to stand up, fa'r and squar', agin
ary thing as wants a tussle with old Rough Tom!
Agh! wagh! woofh! whar's the use?”
-- 332 --
[figure description] Page 332.[end figure description]
Now it so happened, that about the same time the
Kentuckians were holding their consultation and
resolving to go back, the Indians were doing the
same thing.
“We have acted rather like children than warriors!”
said Blodget, in his address to them.
He wanted to go back, for he hoped to be able to
find Isaline, whose trail of the previous night they
had been pursuing at the moment of being attacked
by the whites; Methoto also wished to go back for
the same reason; and the warriors generally thought
they would be sufficiently rewarded for returning—
for at least three of the whites had been killed, and
only one scalped, and neither of them stripped, and
there might be others wounded who had not been
able to get away from the scene of strife.
So the Kentuckians and Indians started back for
the battle-field about the same time—the latter securing
and leaving their horses and plunder, and
three wounded warriors, in a deep little valley, with
three more of their number to guard them.
The main body of the savages returned leisurely,
keeping out a few scouts in advance. They were
mostly in good spirits, for so far they had met with
as much success in the country as they had any
good reason to expect. They had been driven from
Higgins' Blockhouse, it is true; but since then they
had had matters pretty much their own way. The
first night they had secured a number of scalps,
considerable plunder, and some twenty horses, with
-- 333 --
[figure description] Page 333.[end figure description]
no loss to themselves; the second night their expedition
up the river had proved a comparative
failure, because of the whites having been on their
guard; but they had come off without the loss of a
single man, and had secured two more horses, and
killed some cattle, and were therefore well supplied
with meat. The desertion of Hampton and the
escape of Isaline had annoyed and angered them
not a little. At first they supposed Hampton had
gone back to the whites, in revenge for the manner
he had been treated in respect to his prisoner; but
the morning had shown them the truth, in the connection
of the two trails, and they had set forward
to recapture both. The attack of the whites had
been a surprise; but being superior in numbers, and
having soon found themselves getting the advantage,
the whole affair had been affording them a species
of fierce delight at the moment when the shriek of
Isaline had alarmed and put them to flight, and this
because they had superstitiously believed the sound
to proceed from something not of this world. They
had the same belief still; but subsequent reflection
and consultation had convinced them they had acted
foolishly in running away; and they were now returning,
with a determination to face the mystery
and secure whatever advantage might still be left to
them.
At the time when Isaline, seated on the high bank
of the Kentucky river, just after her escape from
Hampton, fancied she heard his voice calling her
-- 334 --
[figure description] Page 334.[end figure description]
name, she was not mistaken. She fled through the
forest, it will be remembered, and he actually set
forward on her trail. Though wanting the experience
of a regular woodman, he succeeded in tracing
her into the wood, and was carefully following in
her steps, when the distant sound of fire-arms
reached and startled him. He stopped, for he had
no desire to go forward and fall into the hands of
either the whites or savages. Not knowing what
better to do, he remained within hearing of the
sounds of conflict till the battle ended in the flight
of the combatants. The Indians fled somewhat in
his direction; and from his place of concealment,
in a thick copse, he actually saw some of them pass
within hailing distance. He did not hail them, however;
but supposing the battle had gone against
them, and that the Kentuckians would soon follow
them, he struck off in another direction, thinking
now of his own safety rather than the recapture of
Isaline. In doing this, heedless of his course, he
soon got bewildered, and was wandering about in
the wood, when he was suddenly sprung upon and
secured by two of the Indian scouts while on their
return to the place of combat in advance of the
main body. Hampton attempted some resistance at
first; but having been taken by surprise and at
advantage, it proved to be very feeble; and a blow
on the head, that nearly stunned him, effectually
settled the matter. His captors now gave a loud,
-- 335 --
[figure description] Page 335.[end figure description]
peculiar halloo, and were immediately answered by
more than a dozen voices from a distance.
In the course of three or four minutes the warriors
came bounding up, and, on seeing Hampton, uttered
fierce yells of satisfaction; and several rushed up to
him, with horrid scowls, and struck him with their
fists and the handles of their tomahawks, and
pinched and kicked him, and howled and danced
around him, and insulted him with such English
words as they could remember:
“Big t'ief—steal squaw—mean man—run away—
burn heap good—big liar—” and so forth and so on.
Thus was this scheming villain already getting a
bitter taste of that misery he had so fiendishly designed
for his rival. Being a captive of savages, he
now found was a very different thing from being an
ally and friend.
Blodget and Methoto were among the last to rejoin
the fierce group, now whooping and dancing around
Hampton, and it was easy to see that both were surprised
and gratified on discovering who was the new
prisoner.
“Oogh!” grunted the white savage, coming up
close, with a fierce gleam of satisfaction: “other
man steal Methoto gun—you steal Methoto squaw.
Dog!”
With the last word he struck the prisoner a blow
in the face with the flat of his hand that staggered
him back against one of the Indians, who struck him
another blow from behind that pitched him forward,
-- 336 --
[figure description] Page 336.[end figure description]
at which there was a shout of savage laughter, in
which Blodget joined.
“Oh, my dear friend,” said Hampton, Pleadingly,
to the decoy, “do not let me be abused in this shameful
manner!”
“Don't call me friend, you — pusillanimous
sneak and woman-stealer!” cried Blodget, fiercely;
“for I don't admit any such scum to an equality
with myself! Say, where's that girl? what have you
done with her?”
“I don't know where she is,” answered Hampton,
in a humbled tone.
“Don't tell me any lies now, or I'll cut your —
heart out of you!” cried Blodget, striding up to
Hampton, with a flourish of his knife.
“I really don't know, upon my honor as a gentleman!”
“Your honor as a gentleman!” sneered Blodget;
“ho! ho! ho! that's what every gallows-bird swears
by. But the girl, you villain! the girl! where is
she? for I'm bound to have her!”
“Oogh! squaw—where she?” grunted Methoto.
“Well, never you mind!” muttered Blodget, in a
low tone, and with a furtive glance at the white Indian;
“you can't have her, wherever she is!”
“If you were to kill me for it, I could not tell you
where she is now!” replied Hampton to Blodget's
question; “but I was on her trail and following it,
when I lost it, and got lost myself afterward. Have
-- 337 --
[figure description] Page 337.[end figure description]
you and those brave warriors been having a fight
this morning?”
“What's that to you? you—sneaking coward!”
returned Blodget. “You haven't done any fighting
since you've been with us, and therefore it can't matter
to you! What do you mean by saying you were
on the girl's trail? Wasn't she with you?”
“She did, eh? Sensible girl, by —!”
“I was following her, when I heard the sound of
fire-arms.”
“And then you stopped, of course, like the sneaking
coward you are!”
“I stopped,” returned Hampton, “because I did
not want to fall into the hands of the enemy.”
“Which do you call the enemy by this time?”
asked Blodget, with a sneer.
“Why, the borderers, of course—the Kentuckinas.”
“Oh, you do, eh? Well, then, what do you call
us?”
“I supposed you to be friends.”
“It's quite likely you'll find us such one of these
days—warm friends—very warm friends!” rejoined
Blodget, with a malignant laugh. “I suppose you
know what'll be done with you, don't you?”
“I hope you will not be too hard on me, for
taking a little liberty!” said Hampton, in a deprecating
tone. “I know I did wrong—but it was
hastily and thoughtlessly done. I never intended
to go over to the enemy, and have not done it. The
-- 338 --
[figure description] Page 338.[end figure description]
fact is, I thought you had got defeated; and thinking
you might have retreated in this direction, I
was hurrying on this way to overtake you, when I
got somewhat bewildered, and wandered about, I
don't know where. That is how I came to be here;
and if you will be kind enough to explain this to
the Indians, perhaps they will not be so angry with
me.”
“I'll do nothing of the kind,” said Blodget, with
a savage frown, “because I don't believe a _____
word of it myself! No, sir—that cat won't jump!
You're lying, and you know it! So you thought
we were defeated, eh? A _____ pretty opinion you
must have of us, if you think we could be whipped
by a handful of Kentuckians! No, it was one of
those infernal screeches that did the business and
made _____ fools of us all!”
“I heard something like the scream of a woman,”
said Hampton, “and thought it was the girl.”
“By _____! perhaps it was!” exclaimed Blodget,
catching at the idea; “I shouldn't wonder if it was—
that is, if she was anywhere about in that region.”
“She must have been near the scene of battle,”
returned Hampton, “for her trail was leading
straight toward it, and she could not have been very
far ahead of me I know.”
Blodget now addressed the Indians—who, while
this conversation was going on, had kept very quiet,
evidently waiting for it to terminate. As soon as
he had done, they showed in their looks an eagerness
-- 339 --
[figure description] Page 339.[end figure description]
to set forward; but before they did so, they stripped
Hampton of nearly everything, in much the same
manner as Henry Colburn had been robbed when
first taken.
In our description of the dress of Charles Hampton,
when first introduced into our story, we stated that
it was fashioned after the manner of the borderers,
but of much finer material than was generally seen
in the wilderness; that his rifle and hunting-knife
were silver-mounted; and that he wore jewelled rings
on his fingers, and silver-buckled shoes in place of
moccasins. Since then his clothes had become a
good deal soiled and injured in his rough journeyings;
but they received a good deal rougher treatment
now, being almost literally torn from his back,
and afterward into strips, that they might be more
equally divided among the savages he had once
called his friends and now felt to be his enemies.
The oldest chief—(for there were no less than four
elevated to the dignity of command—though so
simply democratic were the savages in their general
regulations that no one had superior power in
council—) took possession of his rifle, another of his
knife, a third of his silver buckles, and so on—
Methoto getting a few trinkets, and Blodget managing
to secure two of the most costly rings—he
only, besides Hampton himself, knowing their real
value. In tearing his coat into pieces, a large number
of guineas, sewed up in the lining, became revealed,
and created much pleasant diversion for the
-- 340 --
[figure description] Page 340.[end figure description]
savages, though Hampton inwardly groaned at the
loss of his ill-gotten gains, his only means of support
in civilized society. Some of the Indians knew
something of the value of these gold coins—for they
had seen them pass among the Canadian traders as
articles that were prized—but Blodget, far better
than any, understood their real worth, and, by one
means and another, managed to secure the lion's
share, which tended to put that villain in pretty
good humor.
“I didn't know,” he said to Hampton, with an insulting
laugh, “that you were such a golden goose,
or I'd have found a way to pluck you sooner. Why,
the feathers are the best part of the bird, and your
clothes are worth more than your carcass.”
“I am ruined!” groaned Hampton, with tears in
his eyes.
“And it's my opinion somebody else was ruined
to set you up!” laughed Blodget. “Come, who did
you rob? for you never got this money honestly—
you're too much of a villain for that. Ho! ho! a
pretty time you were going to have of it, running
off with that girl! I wouldn't wonder now if you
had Canada in your eye—for I'm certain you'd never
have dared to show your face among the Kentuckians
again, after the treacherous trick you played
them. If they catch you, you'll swing; and if we
keep you, you'll burn; so, between the two, you're
pretty sure to be sent to the devil before long!”
“What have I ever done to you,” asked Hampton,
-- 341 --
[figure description] Page 341.[end figure description]
“that you should delight in treating me in this cruel
manner?”
“Cruel!” repeated Blodget, with a fiendish laugh.
“Do you call this cruel? Just wait till we get you
home, and you'll look back to this time as one of
the happiest of your life—you will, by _____!
So, what did you ever do to me, eh? Why, you
played the dandy gentleman—getting me and my
friends to do all the work for you to reap all the
profit. If you'd done your share of fighting, and kept
along with us, and strictly conformed to all our regulations,
you'd have been treated well, and been honored
by these brave warriors; but you saw fit, in your
natural meanness, to play the traitor, and now you'll
have to take the consequences. I want you to know
that an Indian decree, passed in council, is not mere
child's play, to be put aside by everybody's whim—
no, not by a _____ sight! It would have been bad
enough for you to have run away yourself; but
stealing off that girl, who'd been taken out of your
hands and wasn't any longer your property, was an
insult to the whole party; and, now that you're
caught, you'll have to suffer for it, and serve you
right!”
“Try me again,” pleaded the trembling villain,
“and I swear to bring in white scalps enough to redeem
myself!”
“I don't want to try you again,” said Blodget,
“for I've got you now where you're safe; and if ever
I get that girl, I intend to have her myself. She's
-- 342 --
[figure description] Page 342.[end figure description]
just the kind of human piece to suit me, and I shall
be as anxious to get all rivals out of the way as you
were. If Methoto goes to set up any claim, I'll have
to fix him off in some way, for I'm bound to have
the girl. But there! I've wasted time enough with
you; and now we must hurry back to the place we
left in such a _____ cowardly manner. Ten to one
it was the girl's scream that frightened us, and I
must get the best Indian scouts to hunt up her trail
and follow it.”
With this he turned away from the wretched
Hampton, and addressed a few words to the Indians,
in a loud tone.
Blodget was not an acknowledged chief among
the savages, but his influence over them was really
greater than some who were. A shrewd, cunning,
unprincipled fellow, of fair education, some natural
abilities, and considerable knowledge of human
nature—a braggart in speech and a coward at heart—
fawning and sycophantic where these base qualities
would best serve him—cruel, revengeful, and
merciless to the unfortunate in his power—sociable
and companionable with his equals, and a devil at
tormenting the condemned—he had managed to
secure the good opinion and confidence of the savages,
so that he could use them in carrying out his
own schemes and at the same time lead them to believe
he was merely an agent of their will. From
the first he had coveted Isaline; and when chance
had given him an opportunity to weaken the hold
-- 343 --
[figure description] Page 343.[end figure description]
of Hampton and place her more easy to his own
grasp, he had not failed to throw in such words as
had then influenced the savages to the decree which
had put her possession at the price of blood. His
rage at losing her had been terrible, and Hampton,
for his part in it, would never be forgiven by him.
In the capture and certain doom of the latter villain,
one rival was already disposed of; and the other, Methoto,
would be, should he become troublesome.
But first and in the meantime to find the girl.
Binding the arms of Hampton behind his back,
in the manner that Henry Colburn had been secured,
and throwing the scouts forward as before, the whole
number of savages resumed their march toward the
battle-field.
When within some quarter of a mile of the late
scene of conflict, the main body was stopped by the
sudden return of two of the scouts. They evidently
brought some news of great importance, for
a consultation was immediately held, and was soon
over.
Then Hampton was suddenly thrown down, and
his legs firmly bound together by stout thongs of
deer-skin. Then he was lashed to a sapling in an
upright position, a ligature so tightly passed around
his neck as to choke him if he bent his head forward,
and a large gag forced into his mouth. In this painful
position he was left to the uncertainties of the
future—the Indians slipping away and vanishing, as
-- 344 --
[figure description] Page 344.[end figure description]
if they were so many evil spirits departing on a mission
of wickedness.
The last to quit the side of Hampton was Blodget;
and he lingered, as he ironically said, to give him a
few consoling words.
“You were pleased to think,” he went on, “that
we had been whipped by the — Kentuckians.
You'll soon have the pleasure of knowing how confoundedly
mistaken you were. We got scared and
run like — fools, and they did too. We've since
mustered up courage enough to come back, and so
have they. They've got ahead of us, lucky for us,
and now think they're masters of the field. Ha! ha!
a good joke, as you will soon see. They're back
on the battle-field, looking after their dead and
wounded, and picking up odds and ends, and perhaps
bragging among themselves about their victory,
and how they'll pursue us and all that. They don't
know, the fools, that we're so near them, and that our
scouts have already seen them, and that we'll soon
have their scalps dangling at our girdles—all at
least except one or two—for if we can catch that
Colburn alive, I've given directions to have him
preserved, in order to put him along side of you and
have a pretty pair of beauties to amuse me with.
Well, now you wonder, when there's so much at stake,
that I don't hurry forward, instead of standing here
wasting my time with you. I don't mind telling
you why, for I know you won't mention it to the
Indians. I'm a little like you—I'd rather be a
-- 345 --
[figure description] Page 345.[end figure description]
little behind, while there's any considerable danger,
and come bravely in at the death, with a loud shout
of victory and a big blow about desperate courage.
So, now that you know all, I'll say by-by for the
present; but I'll come back to you, don't you fear!”
With this Blodget turned away, and soon disappeared
in the direction already taken by the savages.
It was not long after this before Charles Hampton
heard a series of wild, savage yells, accompanied by
the sharp rattle of musketry.
-- 346 -- p473-351
CHAPTER XXIV. The Living and the Dead.
[figure description] Page 346.[end figure description]
Henry and Isaline were still conversing together
in whispers, in their place of concealment, when the
former suddenly started, with a look of alarm, turned
slightly pale, and placed his finger to his lips. Isaline
had not herself heard anything; but she feared
they were menaced with new danger; and instantly
the blood forsook her sweet face, her breathing
ceased, and her heart appeared to become still.
“It may have been fancy,” at length whispered
Henry, “but I thought I heard a sound like the distant
snapping of a dry stick.”
“Oh, Heaven grant our cruel enemies be not returned!”
gasped Isaline.
“There! hark! do you hear that?”
“I hear something like the rustling of bushes,
Henry.”
“All still again!” said Henry, after a brief pause.
“Perhaps it was only some animal passing through
the wood here!”
“God grant it!”
“Ha! there again!”
“It is like a human voice now!” gasped Isaline,
the picture of terror and despair.
-- 347 --
[figure description] Page 347.[end figure description]
“It is a human voice, speaking in a low tone!”
said Henry. “There! another voice now, as if in
reply!”
“Friend or foe, Henry?”
“The sounds seem hardly guttural enough for
savages.”
“Oh, if the borderers have only returned!” said
Isaline.
“Hark!” said Henry, with a bright flush of joy.
“I do believe I hear the voices of our friends!”
“Oh, Father in Heaven, grant it!” prayed Isaline.
The sounds gradually became more audible, as if
the speakers were drawing nearer to the spot where
our lovers still remained concealed.
Presently other voices were heard; and immediately
after, both Henry and Isaline were able to distinguish
the solemn words:
“We'd better dig thar graves here!”
Isaline laid her trembling hand upon the arm of
her companion, and looked almost wildly into his
face.
“Our friends have returned to bury their dead!”
he said, with a look of solemn awe. “God be
praised, that deliverance has come to us! But there
will be a sight, my dear, sweet Isaline, that you
must not look upon! Let me go out to them alone,
my darling; and when all is over, I will return for
you and conduct you from this terrible place.”
“Oh, dear Henry, are you sure?”
-- 348 --
[figure description] Page 348.[end figure description]
There was no need of a reply to the question—for
in the same moment a voice, which they both recognized,
was heard saying:
“Whar's the use? I can't find Harry Colburn,
eyther living or dead.”
“Ha! my friend Tom! I must go to him at
once!” said Henry, with a bright gleam of satisfaction.
“Remember, dearest, you must not leave here
till I return for you!” he added, as he quietly rose
and cautiously crept out of the thicket.
“Oh, look out well for danger, dear Henry!” returned
Isaline, warningly.
“I will, my darling, never fear!”
On creeping out from the thicket, Henry perceived
his late companions grouped together at the foot of
a tree, Rough Tom among the number. He approached
them quietly, and was not perceived till
within a few feet, when he was greeted with a shout
of pleasure. Rough Tom fairly danced with delight,
and grasped his hand as warmly as if he had been
absent for a month.
“Harry, my boy,” he said, “I'm glad to see you!
for I war afeard that eyther the red-niggers, or the
Phantom, or some other infarnal thing had sent you to Kingdom Come!”
“I had a wonderful preservation, Tom!” said
Henry; and as he spoke, his eye fell upon three still,
bloody forms, that lay stretched out, side-by-side, at
the feet of the men. “Dead?” he asked, with a
shudder, pointing to the bodies.
-- 349 --
[figure description] Page 349.[end figure description]
“All dead,” answered Tom, “but only one of 'em
sculped. We've picked 'em up and fotched 'em
he-yar to bury 'em. Thar's two more on us missing
yit, though I kind o' hope they'll turn up like you
has. But whar'd you come from, Harry?”
“Do you see those brambles, filling up the hollow
made by the uprooting of that old tree yonder?”
“I'spect.”
“I have been concealed there ever since you left.”
“Too skeered to run and make a slinking fool
of yourself, like we done, hey?” grinned the old
woodman.
“No, I have not been scared at all—at least in
the way you probably suppose!” smiled Henry.
“I was thrown down there by an Indian, who fell
with me, and I suppose would have killed me, had
he not himself become frightened and run away in
such haste as to forget his rifle.”
“And you warn't skeered by the — screeching
Phantom, nary onct, hey?” said Tom, with a doubting,
quizzical look.
“I have not heard the Phantom—at least to-day.”
“No? Then what did you hear? Call it the
Devil, ef you likes that better.”
“I was stunned by my fall, I suppose, for I heard
nothing!” rejoined Henry, purposely prolonging the
subject, in order to draw Tom out and then give him
a pleasant surprise. “When I came to my senses, I
was greatly astonished to find that both you and the
Indians had gone and left the field clear. At first I
-- 350 --
[figure description] Page 350.[end figure description]
was alarmed, thinking the savages might be in pursuit
of you; but subsequently I came to another
conclusion. What was the real cause of your flight?
and where are our enemies now?”
“What become of the Injuns, I don't know,” answered
Tom; “but we all got skeered together, by a
most infarnal screech—jest like that we've heerd
afore—and all on us run—me leading off and making
a gineral jackass of myself. Harry, you know
this yere arn't the fust time I've run, and made a
cussed, scrouging, coward ninny of myself, jest for a
screech or two; but ef ever I does it ag'in, jest you
mention it to old Rough Tom, and guv him my compliments,
and tell him he's a — fool! Agh!
woofh! whar's the use?”
“And did you really hear a shriek, Tom, like that
we have heard before?”
“Yes! we heerd it last night whar we was
camped you know, and this morning ag'in, right in
the middle of the fight.”
“Did it sound like the scream of a woman?”
“So'thing like it—only more so.”
“Where was it?”
“The Lord knows!”
“Where were you?”
“Right over thar, whar you sees that bent tree.”
The spot pointed out was about twenty yards
from the bramble-pit, and Henry asked if the sound
appeared to have come from that direction.
-- 351 --
[figure description] Page 351.[end figure description]
Tom did not know—it appeared to him to have
come from everywhere.
“I think I have got hold of the Creature that
made the noise!” said Henry, gravely.
“You hev got it cotched, you say?”
“Yes.”
“Killed it?”
“No.”
“Got it yit?”
“Yes.”
“Whar is it?”
“In yonder bramble-pit.”
“Woofh! thunder! what is't like!”
“Very much like a woman.”
“Big as a woman?”
“As big as some women.”
“Any fire and brimstone about it?”
“Have not seen any. You see I am not scorched
anywhere—not even my hair singed.”
“It arn't the same one I seed then!” said Tom;
“for that thar war all fire and brimstone!”
“Except the hair and scales like a fish, as you
remember you mentioned, Tom!” smiled Henry.
“Shagh! whar's the use? I'd like to see this
critter of yourn, Harry!”
“Well, you shall; and you will be pleased with
the sight I know. I have not been so delighted
with anything since I lost the colonel's daughter.”
“Ah, that poor gal!” sighed Tom. “I'm afeard
them devils put her out of the way, and that we'll
-- 352 --
[figure description] Page 352.[end figure description]
never see her ag'in! I say, younker, how's we
agwine to face the colonel and tell him we lost the
gal?”
“It would be hard to do I know, Tom; but then
we have the satisfaction of knowing we did all in
our limited human power, and are not to be blamed
for results.”
“You don't take it so hard's you done at fust, do
ye, lad?” said Tom, kindly. “I'm glad on't—fur I
spected what lettle sense you'd got war agwine to
peg out and leave you luny! In course I'd go my
death to save that ar' gal; but ef it can't be did,
why, whar's the use? We'll hev to face the
colonel; and you'll hev to find another gal, or else
let the courting business drap, which I spect ar' a
heap the best. I never had no women bothering
me—no, sir!”
“Well, come, Tom, let me show you this Creature,
that I am satisfied gave you such a fright.”
“Down in the brambles thar, and nigh as big as
a woman?”
“Yes.”
“How've you got it fastened?”
“I left it perfectly free.”
Tom turned and faced his young companion and
laughed derisively.
“You're a confounded finiky fool about some
things, younker!” he said. “D'yer s'pose that ar'
Varmint's agwine to stay thar by itself, whilst you
goes around and axes up your friends to make a
-- 353 --
[figure description] Page 353.[end figure description]
monkey show on't? And that jest puts me in mind—
how'd you cotch it?”
“It caught me first, Tom!” smiled Henry.
“When I recovered my senses, after my fall, I
found it in my very arms; and it has been with me
ever since; and it being so tame, I thought of course
it would not run away, even if I left it alone for a
few minutes; so, as I happened to hear you speak
my name, I hastened here to meet you. But come
and see for yourself!”
“Eyther you're a — fool or I is, and I knows
it arn't me!” grumbled the old woodman, as he went
forward with Henry, leaving the others busy in digging
the graves of their dead comrades with their
knives and hatchets.
“By-the-by, Tom, are you sure we are perfectly
safe here from an attack of the savages we were
fighting with?” asked Henry, as they walked toward
the thicket, glancing around him somewhat anxiously.
“If they got frightened off from the same
cause as you did, may they not take the same notion
to return?”
“No danger, I reckon!” answered Tom. “They'll
be glad enough, I spect, to make purty clean tracks
for the Ohio now, and we oughter foller 'em! We
scouted all around afore we come he-yar, and seed
thar trail leading off in that direction; and ef t'other
party, as went off with Pete Billings that way, keeps
thar eyes skinned, we'll hev every dog of 'em yit!
I wonder whar the other two missing fellers is that
-- 354 --
[figure description] Page 354.[end figure description]
we can't git no trace of? I don't know whether
they was wownded, tuk prisoners, or what!”
“Here we are!” said Henry, as they drew near
the place where Isaline still remained concealed.
“An Indian and myself, after a shot at each other
and a miss on both sides, rushed together here and
clinched; and he got the better of me, and threw me
down into these brambles, himself falling with me;
and when I came to my senses, he was gone, and the
wood around here was completely deserted. Do
you stay here a minute, Tom, and I will go down
and bring out the Creature I have been telling you
about.”
“And you think you'll find it thar yit?” rejoined
Tom, shaking his head. “Shagh!”
“Oh, yes—for I am certain it would not run
away!” said Henry, as he disappeared on the other
side.
He was absent only a minute; and then reappeared,
helping out Isaline—who, having heard
most of the conversation, understood the whole matter,
and needed no explanation from Henry.
The moment Tom saw her, he started and stared—
rubbed his eyes and stared again—and then, with
a yell of delight, rushed up, threw his strong, rough
arms around her, and, giving her a hug that almost
took her breath, exclaimed:
“Catermounts and allergaters! ef this he-yar don't
beat all creation, whar's the use? Why, gal—I beg
pardon—Miss Holcombe, I mean—I'm as tickled to
-- 355 --
[figure description] Page 355.[end figure description]
see you as ef you war my—my—own mother!
How d'yer do it?”
The other borderers now came running up—among
whom were the scouts who had journeyed so far
with Isaline—and for a few minutes there was a
scene of wild, noisy, joyful excitement. Many questions
were asked and answered, and loud and hearty
was the laugh at the idea that the whole field of battle
had been cleared by the single scream of a
frightened woman.
“Well, boys,” at length said Tom, “we mustn't
lose too much time now; and so, as soon's you've
got them poor fellers kivered decent, we'll hold a
confab, and fix on our next doings, and tramp out
of this, eyther arter the red-niggers or back to some
fort.”
“We'll soon be through now!” replied one of the
men, as they went back to their solemn work,
leaving Rough Tom, Henry and Isaline standing together.
“Ah, you rascal!” cried Tom, with a laugh, giving
Henry a hearty slap on his shoulder; “I don't
wonder you tuk it so easy with the Phantom!
Wagh! you've had your joke on me, and I spect I
owes you so'thing; but I'm too powerful happy jest
now to pay it, with the colonel's darter back ag'in
amongst us all safe!”
As he said this, standing close by the bramble-pit,
with Henry and Isaline both looking at him and
smiling, five or six savages suddenly sprung upon
-- 356 --
[figure description] Page 356.[end figure description]
them, with their horrid yells; and, before the least
resistance could be made, our two friends were overpowered
and borne down to the earth, and poor
Isaline was pinioned in the strong arms of Methoto.
At the same moment the rest of the savages burst
upon the larger group of Kentuckians, yelling like
fiends, and pouring in a destructive volley.
-- 357 -- p473-362
CHAPTER XXV. THE FIENDS TRIUMPH.
[figure description] Page 357.[end figure description]
The dreadful work of slaughter was soon over.
The Kentuckians, busy over their dead and suspecting
no danger, with not a single rifle in their hands,
were taken at a terrible advantage, and could offer
but a feeble resistance to their overpowering foes.
More than half of them were shot down at the first
fire; and the others, with the exception of three, who
ran and were pursued, were speedily dispatched—
clubbed muskets and tomahawks doing the bloody
work in a very brief time. No prisoners were taken
here—every man was killed.
The last to come up but the fiercest in the work
of butchery, was Blodget. He fairly maddened in
it. His knife and tomahawk were plied with a rapidity
and vigor that soon covered him with large
splashes of blood—hands, arms, face and body. He
was eager for scalps, and he managed to secure
four. These were more than his share—more than
were taken by any one warrior.
“Now then,” he muttered to himself when all was
over, his dull, leaden eye brightening and gleaming
with fiendish satisfaction, “the girl's mine beyond
all power of Methoto, the — Buffalo! for I can
-- 358 --
[figure description] Page 358.[end figure description]
show two scalps to his one. I fixed him!” he
chuckled to himself; “for when we both got sight of
the girl, I sent him after her, along with a few warriors,
to take her lover and his companion prisoners—
well knowing, if they did that, they'd serve me
and get no scalps—at least he wouldn't—while I'd
have the better chance at these fellows here.”
The slaughter over—for, owing to the circumstances
we have mentioned, it was rather a massacre
than a fight—and the dead all scalped and plundered—
the savages, in the best of spirits, came together
for a consultation, gathering around the prisoners
that had been spared.
Rough Tom and Henry, meantime, had received
much the same treatment as Hampton; and now,
with nearly everything stripped from their persons—
their faces, arms and bodies marked with blows—
they stood bound to a sapling, bearing up under
their misfortunes with the heroic fortitude of brave
men; but Isaline, poor Isaline, was still in the arms
of her captor, the rough Methoto, who having now
got possession of her, was disposed to retain it as
long as possible. Yielding up glory, revenge and
plunder to his companions, he had contented himself
in withdrawing from the others and seating
himself on the trunk of the fallen tree, where he
now held Isaline hugged to his breast, in much the
same manner as one child is often seen to support
another. Blodget had sent him to secure her, for
the reasons we have named; and he had not only
-- 359 --
[figure description] Page 359.[end figure description]
faithfully obeyed the commands of that villain, but
had exceeded them in so much that he still literally
kept her in his own possession, under the impression
that she was to be his prisoner altogether, as she
had once been Hampton's. And she, poor girl—
confounded and bewildered by the shock which had
so suddenly changed her happiness into horror, with
only a stupefied consciousness of misery remaining
to her—made no attempt to escape from the arms
that held her; but sat, with her eyes fixed on Henry,
as one who saw yet only partially comprehended.
Blodget, as he came up and glanced at Methoto,
scowled darkly; but his first words were addressed
to Henry.
“So,” he said, shaking the gory scalps of his late
victims in the face of the young artist, “we've got
you back again among us, have we? Glad to see
you, and hope you'll stop awhile with us—long
enough to make a respectable visit at least. Who's
this other fellow here?” nodding to Tom. “I don't
think I know him. Why don't you introduce me?
where's your manners?”
“Jest you cut these yere cords, you white devil,
and I'll shake hands with you!” growled Tom.
“Really, my worthy old codger, you do me too
much honor!” grinned Blodget, striding up and
slapping the woodman some half-a-dozen times in
the face with the bloody scalps in his hand. “Here's
a greeting for you from your old comrades, who've
been fools enough to step out and leave you behind!”
-- 360 --
[figure description] Page 360.[end figure description]
he pursued, with the cool malice of a demon. “How
was it you didn't go with them, eh? Perhaps you
were afraid to see the devil so soon after making a
spooney of yourself!”
“Wagh!” grunted Tom; “you kin talk more —
nonsense nor any fool I ever see!”
Blodget laughed.
“Old codger, you amuse me!” he said. “What a
fine time I'll have with the three of ye—for there's
another fellow traveller waiting to join his song of
glory to yours.”
“Whar?” asked Tom, looking around.
“Oh, he's not here,” said Blodget; “we left him
back in the woods a piece, holding up a tree, like
you're doing. An old friend of yours,” he pursued,
turning to Henry, “and very fond of that girl there,
that Methoto's playing doll-baby with—Charles
Hampton, he calls himself.”
“What!” cried Tom, with a fierce gleam of joy;
“you got him tied up like us?”
“For all the world like you, except more so!”
grinned Blodget, whose whim it was just now to be
more amused than angry. “He's got a little extra
touch, in the shape of a cord around his neck and a
gag in his mouth. You know him then?”
“S'pect I does!” replied Tom; “and ef you've got
him fixed, like you say, I kin a' most call it squar'
about myself—for he's the — slinking skunk that
got us into all this yere trouble.”
“Yes, you see, he got us over here, so's he could
-- 361 --
[figure description] Page 361.[end figure description]
catch the girl; and then he was ready to bolt, and
did bolt!” rejoined Blodget. “He run off with the
girl, and then she run off from him, and then he
run after her till he heard us fighting, and then he
run off by himself, and run right into our hands,
which was little the rummiest run of them all,” and
Blodget concluded with a fiendish laugh.
“All right!” said Tom; “you jest keep him; and
ef you takes a notion to see a lettle fun, jest you
untie us both in a opening whar thar's room enough
to hev a white nigger licked! Agh! wagh! whar's
the use?”
Again Blodget laughed, and, by one of those
strange freaks in human nature, began to conceive
quite a liking for the rough woodman. He asked
him his name, which Tom readily told; and, after a
few more questions and answers, said, with some
show of good feeling:
“Tom, you ought to join the Indians; and if, when
you get to their towns, you take a notion to do so,
I'll do what I can for you!”
Tom's first impulse was to say he'd rather join
the imps of darkness; but he suddenly recollected
his condition—a bound and helpless prisoner—and
had the good sense to understand he had better have
the vile decoy for a friend than an enemy—at least
under the present circumstances—and so he rejoined:
“Thank'e, hoss—you tork like a trump; and I'm
not sartin but what as how I'd make a purty
-- 362 --
[figure description] Page 362.[end figure description]
considerable kind of a scrimptious sort of a red nig—
a—a—Injun—yes, sir! S'pect me and you'd git
along amazing—for I reckons we'd both like to tickle
up that thar devil of a Hampton, hey?”
“Yes, indeed, my jolly old codger!” laughed Blodget;
“and if we don't both have a chance, it shan't
be my fault.”
At that time Blodget really meant what he said—
for he was in good humor over his late success,
and Tom had not done anything, at least to his
knowledge, to incur his personal hate. He had
called him a white devil, it was true; but that, under
the circumstances, only showed he was a bold, brave
fellow, who was not afraid to speak his mind and
take the consequences; and though a coward himself,
he admired courage in others. Tom's hatred,
too, of Hampton, to that degree that he was half
willing to suffer himself so that that villain might
be punished with him, was a sort of bond of
affinity between them. Moreover, he wanted a
white companion who could speak his own language,
and he foresaw he was going to have trouble with
Methoto, which would make the two deadly enemies.
And then the rough woodman really amused him,
with his odd way of expressing himself. So, all
taken together, produced an effect which no one
could have calculated on before they met—for human
nature is such a strange instrument, so strangely
attuned, that the wisest player that ever lived is not
always sure of the sounds he will evoke when his
hand sweeps the cords.
-- 363 --
[figure description] Page 363.[end figure description]
Blodget now said a few words to the Indians in
favor of Tom; and then, with the scowl settling
back on his brow, he strode over to where Methoto
was still sitting, with the half stupefied Isaline
clasped in his arms, and addressed him in the
Indian tongue, of which we will give a free translation.
“Has the Buffalo turned into a squaw who is
nursing her first child?” he asked, in a sneering
tone.
“No, the Buffalo is a braver warrior than the
little sneaking Fox who puts the question!” replied
Methoto, with a sullen gleam of hate. “But the
Buffalo has got his own—got what he has long been
seeking—and is content. Let the sneaking Fox go
his way, and not get under the hoofs that will crush
him!”
“The Buffalo has not got his own, but that which
belongs to another, and which he will not be allowed
to hold!” returned Blodget, scarcely able to keep his
fierce passions under his control. “Behold the scalps
of the warrior, which give to Wawakotchethe* the
prize he fought for!” he added, with a flourish of his
bloody trophies.
“Oogh! stolen from dead men that his red brothers
had killed!” growled the white Indian, with a
look of contempt. “The Fox had the cunning to
bring in the courage of the goose—but let him not
force the Buffalo to use his horns! The squaw
-- 364 --
[figure description] Page 364.[end figure description]
belongs to the Buffalo, who saw her before the Fox,
and she gave herself to him afterward. There is no
more to be said. Go!”
“Has the Buffalo forgot the decree of his red
brothers?” asked Blodget, rather mildly, not altogether
fancying the look with which Methoto accompanied
his last words.
“The Buffalo has said `Go'—let the Fox heed in
time!” rejoined Methoto, his cold, gray eyes gleaming
out wickedly through a dark, heavy scowl.
“Our red brothers shall decide!” said Blodget,
drawing back.
And then, as he turned on his heel and advanced
to the group of warriors, who were already preparing
to resume their march back to where they had
left their horses, he muttered in English:
“The — insolent scoundrel! I'll have his
heart's blood and scalp too before long!”
He then addressed the warriors, demanding that
Isaline should either be given up to him now, as
having the best right to her according to their decree,
or else that she should be taken in charge as a
general prisoner, as had been done before.
“My red brothers must see that if either the Buffalo
or the Fox is entitled to her possession, it is the
Fox!” he said in conclusion, holding up his scalps.
The Indians were not slow to decide the point,
for their former decision covered the whole ground.
The girl could belong to neither of the white men
till they should reach the Ohio, and then their scalps
should be counted and the matter finally settled.
-- 365 --
[figure description] Page 365.[end figure description]
“The brothers of the Fox are wise, and he bows
to their will!” replied the cunning Blodget; “let
the Buffalo do the same and yield up the girl to
their possession!”
The principal chief now advanced to Methoto and
said:
“My brother is holding what is not yet his own,
and his brothers will take the prize in charge!”
“And let it run away, as they did before!” grumbled
Methoto, with a lowering brow.
“No, it shall be better guarded this time.”
“Tell my brothers the squaw gave herself to the
Buffalo, and he would rather take care of her.”
“The warriors have already decided, and there is
no need for more words!” rejoined the chief, rather
sternly. “If the Buffalo would not get into trouble,
he will now yield to their wishes and be silent!”
Finding the matter thus fully settled against him,
Methoto sullenly yielded to the general demand.
Placing Isaline on her feet, with a scowl and a sigh,
he got up and walked away. The chief took her
by the hand and led her up to the savage group,
who stood waiting to see the result—she, pale as a
ghost, uttering not a word, and moving forward as
if mechanically.
Unbinding Tom and Henry, all except their
hands, and placing them separately in the file, with
Isaline in the rear, the Indians now resumed their
triumphant march in the same direction they had
fled before.
-- 366 --
[figure description] Page 366.[end figure description]
When they reached the place where they had left
Hampton, and found him still secured to the tree,
with the gag in his mouth, they uttered a few joyous
whoops, and all who had taken fresh scalps paid him
special attention by slapping the gory trophies in his
face.
“You see I'm a prophet!” said Blodget to him,
with a brutal laugh; “for I told you, you know,
we'd use up the Kentuckians, and we've done it!
Only two or three of them got away, and all the
rest that are alive you see here in the shape of a
couple of your friends.”
“Don't call me the friend of sich a — slinking
coward as him!” growled Tom, who happened to be
standing within a few feet of the treacherous villain.
“Almost my own words to him, when he had the
impudence to call me his friend some time ago!”
laughed Blodget.
It would be hard to find a more miserable wretch
than Hampton was now, as he turned his dark eyes
from one to the other of the persons around him,
and saw no pity in any face, with the exception,
perhaps, of that of the girl he had so deeply
wronged, and whose now sad, sorrowful features
seemed to have sympathy with all that suffered.
Unbinding Hampton from the tree and taking the
gag from his mouth, the Indians placed him in the
file, in the same manner as the others, and again
resumed their triumphant march.
In something like an hour they came in sight of
-- 367 --
[figure description] Page 367.[end figure description]
their horses, plunder and guard; and then they
stopped and gave a series of halloos, one for each
scalp and prisoner, and followed these with a few
short, sharp yells of joyous triumph. These were
joyously answered by the guard; and then succeeded
two long, dismal howls, announcing that two of the
wounded warriors, left in their charge, had since
breathed their last.
This suddenly changed the rejoicing to mourning
and rage; and as the savages hurried forward and
looked at the dead bodies of their comrades, some
of the fiercest and least thoughtful were for dispatching
the prisoners at once. A consultation was held
to decide their fate, and all the cunning address of
Blodget was required to save them.
“Let my brothers be wise,” he said, “and not
now, in a moment of passion, destroy those who may
afford us much amusement when we reach our
homes. The brave dead fought well and have been
amply avenged. Their enemies' scalps, in large
numbers, are now dangling at our girdles, while not
a single scalp have the Long Knives* to show in
return. The friends of the braves who are gone
will wail for them; and their living brothers should
give them the means to rejoice, by presenting them
with prisoners for the tortures.”
His words produced a marked effect on the minds
-- 368 --
[figure description] Page 368.[end figure description]
of the savage group, and, his purpose being ably
seconded by the chiefs, he soon had the satisfaction
of seeing his point carried unanimously.
The Indians, having destroyed or vanquished
those who had directly followed and attacked them,
now felt perfectly secure, not dreaming there were
still larger parties of the whites roving through the
country which stretched between their westward
trail and the Ohio. They felt, however, they had
ventured enough for the present; and, loaded with
plunder and covered with glory, they were resolved
to begin their homeward march, to enjoy the gratulations
of their friends for the triumphs they had
so bravely won. But there was no need of haste,
they reasoned, and so everything was leisurely done.
First they buried their dead, and did what they
could for the only wounded sufferer remaining. He
had been shot in the side, but appeared not to be
mortally wounded, and was able to sit a horse.
They next prepared their midday meal, and gave
the prisoners all they wanted. Isaline took hers,
but scarcely tasted it; Hampton and Henry ate only
a little; but Tom devoured enough for three ordinary
men—carelessly remarking to Blodget, with
his mouth full of the tender, well-toasted meat:
“I've seed worse cooks nor these red ni—a—a—
Injuns—and I've got a holler in me you could chuck
a ox into—yes, sir!”
“Fill it then,” laughed the decoy, “for you won't
always have so good a chance perhaps!”
-- 369 --
[figure description] Page 369.[end figure description]
“Jest what I's a thinking on!” mumbled the fearless
borderer; “me and you come to p'ints amazing!
Woofh! whar's the use? Ax Hampton ef his jawrs
is sore chawing that thar stick?”
“You're a trump, by _____!” rejoined Blodget,
with another laugh and a friendly slap of the woodman's
broad shoulder; “and when I get you home
to our village, I'll do what I can for you!”
“Ef you ever does, you sneaking slink of the
devil!” thought Tom, as he looked at the other with
a pleasant grin, which, it must be confessed, was very
far from conveying a true idea of the state of his
feelings. “Nothing like playing possum when a
feller's got nothing better to do!” mentally pursued
Tom. “I'll live to fix this yere white nigger yit!”
Having finished their meal and smoked their
pipes, the Indians resumed their journey to the
northward, intending to avoid all fortified settlements
and get out of the country as quietly as possible.
By adopting this course—which they did
without any knowledge that a division of the whites
had struck across the wilderness to head them off—
the chances were more than a thousand to one—in
fact almost infinite—that the savages would escape
without being molested by any armed body of their
foes; and this Tom comprehended, with a mental
groan, when subsequently informed by Blodget of
their design.
The larger part of the Indians rode their captured
horses; but all the prisoners, with the exception of
-- 370 --
[figure description] Page 370.[end figure description]
Isaline, were compelled to go afoot—though they
were not loaded with burdens, as was not unusual
in a march of this kind—the plunder, which was
considerable in bulk, being placed on the backs of
a few of the quieter animals. Isaline, as on a previous
occasion, was mounted in front of a fierce-looking
savage, but was respectfully treated and
without abuse. Her feelings, and those of Henry—
as, stripped nearly naked, he was forced over the
roughest ground, with here and there a sharp stick
and stone lacerating his naked feet—we must leave
to lovers to imagine. Both were thankful, however,
that the life of the other had been spared, and that
as yet they had not been separated. What the
future might have in store fore them, it was terrible
to conjecture; but as in their hour of happiness, so
in their hour of misery, they silently and secretly
prayed to Him who alone had the power to deliver
them from the hands of their enemies and bring
them together in safety and joy. Blodget rode a
part of the time and a part of the time walked; but
Methoto, having got possession of a horse, seemed
little disposed to yield it up to any one, even for a
brief time. He had nothing to say; but, with his
brow clouded and a wicked light in his eye, he kept
steadily along, brooding over his dark thoughts,
and secretly calculating the chances of carrying out
a design he had already imperfectly formed—a design
which concerned Isaline, and was destined to bring
about some strange and startling events.
eaf473n2* Shawanoese for Fox—the Indian name of Blodget.
eaf473n3* A name originally applied to the Virginians by the Indians,
and afterwards used by them to designate the border
whites indiscriminately.
-- 371 -- p473-376
CHAPTER XXVI. DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
[figure description] Page 371.[end figure description]
The sun had set, and the first shadows of the
coming night were beginning to steal over the forest,
when the Indians came to a halt in a wild, romantic
spot, on the bank of a little stream, and prepared to
encamp. It was now that Methoto, in a careless
manner, rode up along side of the warrior having
charge of Isaline, and said, in a quiet, ordinary tone:
“Does my brother think this a safe place for our
night-camp?”
“Does the Buffalo know of any danger?” asked
the other.
“No! but would it not be safer on higher ground?”
queried Methoto.
“Our scouts can pass the night on the surrounding
hills!” observed the savage.
“Waralothe is wise!” rejoined Methoto; “and if
he thinks it safe here, the Buffalo is content. A fine
horse Waralothe has under him!” he pursued, riding
up still closer and patting the beast on the neck;
“he carries two as if they were but one.”
The Indian grunted assent, and slid down from
his back, on the side furthest from Methoto. At the
same moment the white savage glanced quickly
-- 372 --
[figure description] Page 372.[end figure description]
around him and saw that the other Indians had all
dismounted. Some were near him, but the majority
were several yards distant. Then it was that Methoto
acted with remarkable quickness and decision.
Suddenly throwing his right arm around Isaline,
just as her guard was about to take hold of her, he
drew her to him, with the power of a giant, and,
striking his high-spirited animal and giving a loud
yell, dashed suddenly away. Isaline uttered a wild
scream of terror; and the savages, the instant they
comprehended the audacious truth, also gave loud
vent to their rage, discharged some of their pieces at
random, and sprung after the flying fugitives, some
remounting their horses and some running on foot.
They might as well have followed the wind.
Methoto rode for life, and night soon came on to
put an end to the vain pursuit. One by one the
warriors returned, angry and sullen.
Blodget was so enraged at the loss of the girl and
the triumph of his foe, that he threw himself down
on the ground, rolled and howled, and then got up
and beat Hampton with his fists till he was tired.
Then he cut a stout switch, and was proceeding to
serve Henry still worse, when the whole camp was
startled with that strange, wild, prolonged, quavering
shriek so often heard before. It did not appear
to be far distant, for it was loud and shrill, and
seemed to be floating in the air, so that some of the
superstitious and awe-struck warriors looked up,
half expecting to see the Evil Spirit in a terrible
-- 373 --
[figure description] Page 373.[end figure description]
form. It was three times repeated, and then all became
still, till the howling of a few wolves broke the
gloomy silence. Blodget threw down his stick,
walked away, and sat down, looking pale and
frightened.
“Did not our assembled wisdom decide that whoever
should harm the white squaw should himself
come to harm?” observed one of the chiefs, with a
superstitious solemnity. “One ran off with her,
perhaps for evil, and the watching-spirit sent him
back to our hands a prisoner. Now Methoto has
gone, but let us not envy his fate!”
Ah! how was it with poor Henry, when he found
that Isaline had been carried off by that terrible
being who in his wild passions he fancied was more
to be dreaded than the native savages? And he to
see her go, and hear her shriek for help, and yet remain
a bound and helpless prisoner, without even
the feeble consolation of being able to start in pursuit!
When we sometimes learn of great calamities
bringing suddenly the most crushing weight of
grief and misery upon a single human being, we
wonder how the awfully afflicted individual can bear
up under it and live; but we must consider that the
God of Nature has kindly provided for this by a
stupefaction of the senses. As only a certain
amount of physical pain can be borne without that
loss of consciousness which deprives the patient of
sensible suffering, so also of mental anguish. To
the first keen, piercing pang, there often succeeds
-- 374 --
[figure description] Page 374.[end figure description]
a dull, heavy stupor, which saves the sufferer from
insanity and death. It was thus with Henry Colburn
in the present instance. At first he felt as if
he must shriek out his very life—as if his very soul
must tear asunder its bonds of clay and be free—
and then a dull, heavy stupor stole over him; and
he lived on, with a dim comprehension of the horrible
truth—with a sense of some great misery weighing
him down—but, along with this, an irresistible
desire to put aside all thought, and sleep, and be at
rest forever more.
The Indians did not now feel altogether safe where
they were, and set a strong guard on the hills around
their camp. The night, however, passed away without
anything to excite fresh alarm. The wolves
howled around them more or less, it is true; and
there were other gloomy sounds, belonging to the
forest; but these were not the things to keep the
warriors from their sleep. Most of them slept
soundly. So also, strange as it might seem but for
our explanation, did Henry, though painfully bound,
and in the midst of his foes, with the being he loved
above all others in the hands of a wretch capable of
the most terrible crimes. Rough Tom, too, slept
some; but he often awoke with a start, and cursed
the bonds that kept him from an attempt at freedom.
As for Hampton, he scarcely closed his eyes.
Wearied, bound and bruised, with aches and pains
all over him and a hell within, with the consciousness
that he was ruined, and that all he suffered had
-- 375 --
[figure description] Page 375.[end figure description]
been brought upon himself by his own wicked plans
and deeds, he was now experiencing some of the torments
he so richly deserved.
At the first streak of day Blodget roused the
Indians and harangued them. He set forth, with
all the eloquence of which he was master, the
heinousness of Methoto's offence in deserting them
and carrying off their fair prisoner, said they would
be forever disgraced if they permitted him to escape,
and begged that a part of them at least might be
sent with himself in pursuit of the treacherous villain.
He was warmly opposed by some and as
warmly seconded by others. The more prudent
thought the risk of dividing their small force too
great for the purpose to be gained, even should
success attend their efforts, which was more than
doubtful; that, being in the country of the enemy,
from whom they had won so much glory and
plunder, they ought to be contented with what they
had and push forward and cross the Ohio as soon as
possible—more especially as they were leaving a
broad trail behind them, and might still be rapidly
pursued by overwhelming numbers. Under any
other circumstances, Blodget would have been the
last to urge pursuit and incur the delay and peril
which must attend it; but now he was too insane on
that one point to reason with his usual shrewdness
and cunning. He had set his heart upon having
Isaline at any cost; and he could not endure the
thought that she was not only lost to him, but that
-- 376 --
[figure description] Page 376.[end figure description]
he had been robbed of her by one he had already
begun to hate, and who would in effect triumph
over him by her possession. So he continued to
urge and plead, assisted by some of the fiercest and
boldest spirits, till at last he had the satisfaction of
finding his request granted, though with great reluctance
and much warning.
Six of the best and bravest warriors were selected
to accompany Blodget; and as soon as the morning
repast was over, they were ready to bid adieu to
their comrades and set out on their uncertain and
perilous venture. Before he left, Blodget went to
each of the prisoners—for such was the meanness
of his nature that he could not bear to part from
them without a few annoying and tantalizing words.
“My dear fellow,” he said to Hampton, with mock
sympathy, “you're looking rather the worse for
wear! I am inclined to fear you didn't rest well
last night!”
“I did not sleep at all!” groaned the haggard
villain.
“Strange!” said Blodget, with a sorrowful air;
“and I'm at a loss to account for it. It could not
have been the bed, for where could you find a
better? You really must have had something on
your mind! Well, cheer up! You're going home
among your friends, you know, and they'll take
such tender care of you. I'm sorry I've got to
leave you; but the fact is, I'm going after the girl;
and when I get her back, and get her home, we'll
-- 377 --
[figure description] Page 377.[end figure description]
have such a wedding! and something hot to cheer
you, for I know you must be fond of something hot!
There, my good fellow, I know what you'd say, for
I can see you're brimful of gratitude; but no thanks,
I beg of you—no thanks!”
“Mr. Blodget,” said Hampton, with a groan, and
in a pleading tone, “I know you are a gentleman
not devoid of kindness; and now that I have been
so severely punished, will you not forgive me—at
least a little—and loosen these cords that are cutting
into my wrists?”
“Shall I loosen the other prisoners' too? or only
yours?” asked Blodget, with a sly twinkle of his
dull, leaden eyes.
“Only mine, Mr. Blodget—only mine!” answered
Hampton.
“You don't care for the others then, do you?”
“No, I don't care how much they suffer, for they
deserve it!”
“Their cords don't hurt you any, do they?”
grinned the decoy.
“No, not in the least.”
“Well,” rejoined Blodget, yours don't hurt me
any; and so why should I care more for you than
you do for the others? You're a clever fellow,
Hampton; but I'm afraid you're too selfish, and
lack Christian charity. By-by! and don't forget to
say your prayers!”
As Blodget coolly and mercilessly turned away
to the next, Hampton fairly gnashed his teeth in
helpless rage.
-- 378 --
[figure description] Page 378.[end figure description]
Henry, as we have said, had slept heavily through
the night, owing to the stupor brought on by his
overwhelming grief; but with the full return of consciousness,
came back a full sense of his misery, and
his mental sufferings no pen or tongue may ever
portray. Pale, haggard and crushed, he was sitting
with his head dropped upon his breast when Blodget
came up and addressed him.
“Well, my friend, how fare matters with you?”
said that devilish villain, seizing him by the hair
and bringing the head back with a jerk. “Ah!
laughing, I see, as usual. You were so amused
when Methoto ran off with your girl, that I was
afraid you'd kill yourself with laughter, and you
haven't got over it yet I find. Capital, wasn't it?
For your sake I'm almost tempted to let him go—
for no doubt the two of them will have a delightful
time together, and I'd like to do all I can to please
you; but unfortunately I want the girl myself, for
we're engaged to be married, and so I'm going to
seek her. I can't bear to leave you, for I'm afraid
you won't get on well without me; but then I hope
to get through in time to overtake you before you
get to our village. In case I shouldn't, however, I'll
see you there, and you shall dance at my wedding.
By-by, my dear friend—by-by—and I'll tell the
sweet girl you sent her a kiss, and give it to her for
you!”
While this devil was speaking, Henry strove to
keep down his temper and appear unmoved, well
-- 379 --
[figure description] Page 379.[end figure description]
knowing how worse than useless it would be to
show anger and so increase the triumph of his deadly
foe; but Blodget's allusions to poor Isaline almost
drove him mad; and in spite of all the Stoical philosophy
he could bring to his aid, his face grew pale
and red by turns, his ashy lips quivered, the veins
on his forehead swelled and stood out like whipcords,
and large beads of perspiration gathered all
over his agonized features. Had Blodget continued
his tortures, he might have driven him insane; and
had Henry's hands been free, it is more than probable
he would have struck the villain dead at his
feet. All this Blodget saw and understood; and
though he rejoiced in the tortures he inflicted, it was
no part of his scheme to overthrow his victim's
reason—for then he would be beyond his power of
tormenting, and an object of commiseration with the
Indians—who, barbarous as they were, superstitiously
respected what they believed the Great Spirit
had touched; and besides, he felt that he had no more
time to waste. He therefore turned to the rough
woodman—who, having heard his remarks to the
others, and especially to Henry, was trying to keep
his rage concealed and appear indifferent—and said,
with something perhaps of sincerity:
“Tom, I'm going to leave you for a while, to try
and see if I can catch that devil Methoto and get
back the girl; but I have told the Indians to let up
on you as much as they safely can, and not treat you
too harshly. I think your hands are tied rather
-- 380 --
[figure description] Page 380.[end figure description]
tighter than they need be, and you needn't be surprised
if your captors loosen them a little.”
“Thank'e!” answered Tom; “and I'm not the nigger
to forgit all your kindness. I hopes you'll git
the gal and fotch her back safe, and guv that devil as
tuk her what he oughter hev!”
The last sentence at least was sincerely spoken—
for the return of Isaline, even as the prisoner of such
a villain as Blodget, was in Tom's opinion a less
cruel doom for her than being left alone in the hands
of such a human beast as Methoto; and moreover
there seemed a possibility that he might sooner or
later effect his escape; and if she were known to
be with the Indians, she should be rescued, if it were
to take half the men in Kentucky to do it.
“I'll have the girl yet!” said Blodget, with a
braggart air; “and what's more, I'll wash my hands
in the heart's blood of her captor!”
With this he strode off proudly, and joined the
Indians who were to accompany him; and, shortly
after, the prisoners saw the party for the uncertain
venture glide off through the forest and disappear.
“Oh, my God! my God!” groaned Henry, as he
still sat with his head bowed to his breast; “how
much can a human being endure and live? At what
point of unspeakable woe does the heart break or
reason desert her throne?”
“Never say die, my brave friend!” returned Tom,
in a low tone; “thar'll so'thing turn up yit. The
Devil haint got everything his own way yit, or else
whar's the use? No, sir! Woofh!”
-- 381 -- p473-386
CHAPTER XXVII. GAINING FREEDOM.
[figure description] Page 381.[end figure description]
In so much as concerned the treatment of the
prisoners left with the main party of savages, the
departure of Blodget was a blessing to them—for
rude, brutal and cruel though these children of the
forest might be, they at least could not torture the
souls of their captives with maddening words more
difficult to be borne than blows.
These Indians, however, in justice to them be it
said, did not in the present instance seem disposed
to conduct themselves with any undue severity
toward those under their charge. They shared their
morning meal with them—unbinding their hands so
that they might feed themselves—standing guard
over them while they did so—and then, as a necessary
act of prudence, securing them again, but in a
manner to give them far less pain than before.
Colburn and Hampton, both extremely dejected,
though with feelings perhaps as different as light
and darkness, ate little, and that rather through force
than desire; but Tom bolted his portion with a gusto
and zeal that amused the savages not a little. True
to his assertion, Blodget had spoken some favorable
words of the old woodman; and the savages, elated
-- 382 --
[figure description] Page 382.[end figure description]
with their success since coming into the country, and
having no personal ill-will laid up against him, were
now in the humor to treat him with comparative
leniency. They tied his hands behind his back
again, it is true; but they took care to put the cord
in a new place, where it would not give him so much
pain as before, and only drew it reasonably tight.
And then one of the chiefs went so far as to pat him
on the head, and say, in his broken English:
“White brudder good Injun make!”
Ef I couldn't make a thundering sight better one
nor some of the white hellyuns you've got amongst
ye,” grinned Tom, “I'd guv you leave to roast me
fust and bile me arterward! Wagh!”
The Indian laughed, though he only imperfectly
understood him; and turning to his companions, he
said something to them, at which they laughed also.
In the course of half-an-hour after the departure
of Blodget and his party, the main body of savages,
numbering about twenty in all, resumed their route
to the northward, all riding except the prisoners
and a couple who kept along on foot with them to
act as a special guard. To the left of them, at no
great distance, was the Kentucky River. They did
not attempt to follow the windings of that stream,
however, but rather aimed for a middle course between
that and the Licking, as leading more directly
through a wilderness where there were no formidable
stations, and only at the most a few isolated
settlers. They had no purpose in view now except
-- 383 --
[figure description] Page 383.[end figure description]
to reach the Ohio without molestation and cross over
to the safer shore, which they expected to do by
means of a raft, to be constructed on the bank after
their arrival, for the journey back to where they had
left their canoes was too far and difficult to be
thought of at all.
The prisoners were now allowed to walk near
enough together to converse with each other, which,
thanks to the lenient disposition of their guard, was
not forbidden, and Tom was the first to avail himself
of the liberty. Looking at the distressed and
haggard face of Henry, he attempted in his rude
way to offer him what consolation he could.
“It's powerful hard, lad,” he said, in a sympathetic
tone, and with his rough features softening and his
eyes filling with tears, “for you to bear up ag'in all
the trouble that's come upon you; but cheer up,
Harry, and never say die! for whar's the use?”
“Oh, Tom,” groaned Henry, in a low, tremulous
voice, with his bloodless lips fairly quivering, but
still keeping under, by a master effort of his will,
emotions that seemed as if they would rend his soul
from its earthly tenement: “oh, Tom, only to think,
after all my pain, peril, anxiety and suffering, of
mind and body, beyond even the tortures which
savages have power to inflict, that I should again
have her in my arms, and experience a few minutes
of such earthly happiness as I had never before
known, and then see her suddenly snatched from me,
and subsequently borne off to a doom a thousand
-- 384 --
[figure description] Page 384.[end figure description]
times worse than death, without the power to even
so much as lift a hand in her defence! Oh, my
God! my God! how do I bear up against it and
live!”
“It's powerful hard, Harry, I know,” returned
Tom; “powerful hard; but then I s'pect it arn't
quite so bad as you makes it out—no, sir! Ef the
gal war dead, thar'd be a eend to hoping, you see;
but now thar's a chance as so'thing 'll turn up and
fotch it all out right at last. That thar devil as tuk
her off won't kill her—and t'other devil as went
arter her won't—and so (lowering his voice till only
Henry's ear could catch the words) when we gits
away we'll hunt her up, and you'll see happy times
yit.”
“When we get away!” repeated Henry, in a low,
guarded tone, looking wonderingly at Tom; “have
you any hope of that?”
“In course I has,” answered Tom, with confidence;
“d'yer think these yere ripscallion niggers is agwine
to keep us all our lives? Not ef I knows myself!
Shagh!”
At this moment Hampton, who had been walking
some distance ahead of our friends, observing
them in close and confidential conversation, slackened
his pace till they came up with him.
“Git out, you infarnal white nigger devil you,”
growled Tom, “or I'll smash your skull in the fust
chance I git! All this yere devilish business we
-- 385 --
[figure description] Page 385.[end figure description]
owes to you; and all the satisfaction I gits out of it
ar', that you'll git what belongs to you afore long!”
“It was you that drove me to it!” muttered Hampton.
“In a moment of anger, at the manner I had
been treated, I was tempted to join the Indians; but
I subsequently repented, and the first opportunity I
got I ran off from them, with the young lady, intending
to take her home to her father; but she, being
distrustful of me, frustrated my good intentions, and
ran away from me; and in following her I was
caught, as it seems she and you were too shortly
afterward.”
“Go away!” said Tom, quietly but sternly, accompanying
the words with a look there was no
mistaking; “go away, or I shall hurt you! for ef
my hands is bound my feet arn't, and I'm a rigelar
hoss at kicking. Go away! I don't want to speak
to you, and I don't want you to speak to me!
Whar's the use?”
Evidently Hampton thought his company not
wanted, and that something disagreeable might possibly
happen should he venture to remain; and so,
with a drooping head and downcast look, he moved
sullenly away, and walked on by himself—the Indian
guard not interfering with either of the parties,
but keeping them under a sharp surveillance.
“Tell me, Tom,” said Henry, as soon as he could
again speak without being overheard by a third
party, “what chance there can possibly be of our
getting away from our captors!”
-- 386 --
[figure description] Page 386.[end figure description]
“Oh, thar'll so'thing turn up, Harry, arter a while,”
answered the other, rather from a hope than from
any settled plan of his own. “You see these yere
savages is beginning to let up on us a lettle; and ef
we keeps along kind o' docile, they'll let up on us a
lettle more, and a lettle more, by degrees like, till
thar'll so'thing come on't sure!”
“Then it is into the far future you are looking!”
groaned Henry; “and the awful present is so all important
to me! Oh, God give me strength to bear
up under this weight of misery that is crushing me!”
he prayed.
“Well, you see, my dear feller,” pursued Tom, “it
mayn't be so fur off as you thinks, arter all! My
hands arn't tied so tight as they war; and ef I kin
jest manage so's to git 'em free, without the red niggers
knowing on't, I'll guv'em the dodge somewhar;
and then good-by, old Injun; for the two-legged
critter as kin cotch and hold me, arter I've had ten
rod the start, kin set hisself up in the chain-lightning
business—yes, sir!”
“But then, Tom, if you were free, I should still be
a prisoner!”
“Would ye? how long? Heaven and 'arth,
younker! d'yer think I wouldn't hev the half of
Kaintuck arter these yere devils, but what I'd fotch
you out cl'ar?”
“And meantime what would become of poor Isaline?”
groaned Henry. “No, no, Tom, my good,
stanch friend, if ever you get away, give not a thought
-- 387 --
[figure description] Page 387.[end figure description]
to me till you have saved Isaline Holcombe! for
what is life to me without her! Nothing! nothing!
Oh, Tom, I do not think of myself, only for her sweet
sake! I would gladly lay down my life now, at any
moment, to save and restore her to the arms of her
father!”
“And does you s'pect she keers as much for you
as you does for her?” asked the other.
“Oh, yes, I cannot doubt it, after the evidence I
have received!”
“Then,” rejoined the sagacious woodman, “what
does you s'pect her life 'ud be wo'th to her ef you
was dead, hey?”
“True! true! she would be miserable!” sighed
Henry.
“Then don't talk about dying, like a sick calf,
younker, fur whar's the use?”
“Still, Tom, you must save her first—promise me
that you will!”
“Ef you could git away too, Harry, it would all
be right!”
“Oh, if I could!”
Tom mused, and remained silent for some time.
At length he seemed to start, as if with a happy
thought.
“I've got a idee!” he said; “but may be it's like
a good many more I've had in my time—not good
for nothing!”
“What is it?” asked Henry.
“You knows you is some on finikies, hey?”
-- 388 --
[figure description] Page 388.[end figure description]
“Drawing—sketching—you mean?”
“Yes, pictur' finikies.”
“Well?”
“Wall, what become of all them as you had?”
“I do not know. They were in the pocket of my
hunting-frock, and my first captors took possession
of that. Probably they were thrown away.”
“What become of your coat?”
“I cannot say. It was worn a while, and then I
lost sight of it. In fact I had enough else to think
of besides that.”
“I don't believe it war throwed away,” mused
Tom, “and arter them niggers jined these, it mought
hev been pitched into the gineral pile.”
“But why do you ask about it?”
“Was your finiky fixings along with the pictur's?”
“My drawing materials were.”
“Wall, you see, Harry, I've got a idee, that ef you
could git them things showed up afore the Injuns
somehow, so's to make 'em curi's about 'em, and then
git 'em to free your hands and you tickle 'em up
with some o' thar cussed ugly faces, they mought
make a pet o' you.”
“Tom, it is a good idea!” said Henry, brightening.
“Ef you could git your finikies to work a lettle
he-yar, and git away from these imps by sich like
arterwards, it mought pay up for some of the time
you've fooled away afore this!” said Tom, with the
-- 389 --
[figure description] Page 389.[end figure description]
satisfied air of a man who was turning a worthless
matter to some account.
“If I only had my liberty, I could do something
with a burnt stick and a piece of bark, even without
my drawing materials,” said Henry; “and if the Indians
would only give me some of their paints and a
chance to work, I would soon astonish them.”
“Nothing like trying it on,” returned Tom; “and
so s'pose you opens on these yere foot-niggers fust,
and sees what you kin do with them.”
“I hardly know how to begin, but the first opportunity
I have I will try,” said Henry.
He did try with his guard; but as they could only
understand and speak a few of the most simple and
common English words, and as his hands were
bound so that he could make no explanatory gestures,
he did not succeed in getting them to comprehend
him, and again became terribly depressed with
grief and despair.
“Shagh!” grunted Tom, in one of his efforts to
raise his spirits; “never say die, man! whar's the
use? I tell you thar'll so'thing turn up, or else I'll
swaller myself!”
The Indians kept steadily on, over a rough section
of the country—up hill and down—through
thickets and open woods—now and then crossing a
small creek or stream, and never once halting for
rest till the sun was within an hour of the horizon.
Then they tethered and put their horses to graze,
and the most expert hunters flew off in different
-- 390 --
[figure description] Page 390.[end figure description]
directions to shoot game, there being but little meat
left and that not in the best condition. By dark the
hunters had all returned, bringing with them a
sufficient quantity of venison, some bear meat, and
also some corn, which had been collected from a
field they had chanced upon. A large fire was now
kindled, and soon the savages were in good humor
over what they considered a feast.
When they had finished their own meal, they unbound
their prisoners again and offered them all
they could eat. It was now that, taking advantage
of his liberty, Henry addressed them in the
most simple words he could find, accompanied with
appropriate gestures, describing his power of drawing,
not only scenes but faces. They did not altogether
comprehend him at first; but they understood
something—enough to excite their curiosity to know
more; and taking advantage of this favorable impression,
he advanced to the fire, selected the stick
best suited to his purpose, drew it forth, put out the
blaze, and, using the charred end on the inside of a
large strip of bark that he found lying on the ground,
with a few artistic strokes, sketched a rough but
unmistakable outline of the whole savage group. It
was a mere rude delineation, which rather suggested
to the fancy than brought to the view; but it surprised
and delighted the Indians, who (not being now
in council and required to keep up an austere dignity)
expressed their wonder and admiration freely,
-- 391 --
[figure description] Page 391.[end figure description]
and desired the artist to proceed and give them something
more of the same kind.
It now occurred to Henry that his coat might
possibly be among the pile of clothing they had been
bringing along as a part of their plunder, and that
possibly some of his former sketches and drawing
materials might be in the pocket still, and so by
words and signs he made the savages understand
enough to grant him the privilege of searching. To
his great joy he found his coat, thus proving that
his captors had preserved it even during their hurried
flight and had afterward thrown it among the
general stock. He eagerly thrust his hand into the
pocket—but, to his great disappointment, found nothing
there—and he was about to lay the garment
down, with a pang of sorrow, when he heard something
like the rustling of papers, and discovered a
bulky mass between the outer cloth and the lining,
at the bottom of one of the skirts. Instantly thrusting
his hand back into the pocket, he still found it
whole; but near it was a rent in the lining, through
which, in his haste, when on the little island, he had
probably dropped the articles. Quickly pushing his
hand through this, down to the bottom of the skirt,
he now, with inexpressible joy, because of his hope
of ultimate freedom, drew forth a bundle of his pictures,
with two or three pencils and some white
paper. Neither the drawings nor the paper were in
a good condition, for they had been somewhat damaged
by the long time they had remained submerged
-- 392 --
[figure description] Page 392.[end figure description]
in the waters of the Licking; but still they would
answer his purpose; and when he showed them to
the Indians, they evinced a delight, in looks, gestures,
and words, that perfectly satisfied him.
Among these sketches was the one, not quite finished,
which he was drawing at the time he first discovered
the Indians who subsequently became his captors;
and the sight of that beautiful scene, with the recollection
of his dear Isaline, now filled his soul with
such emotions as made his brain reel and his whole
frame quiver. Among these sketches, also, was the
one of the night-duel, with the so-called Phantom leaping
down from the tree in pursuit of Hampton, and
this interested the savages very much. They readily
guessed at the meaning of the mysterious figure—
for one of the chiefs said to the artist, putting his
finger on it as he spoke:
“Watchemenetoc! Devil!”
“Yes,” said Henry, tapping his own breast, “and I
saw it!”
Having examined all the pictures, with such signs
of approbation as might have flattered a more ambitious
man, the savages intimated that they wanted
to see him do something new; and though his hands
were somewhat swollen and sore, from the manner
in which they had been corded, he was not slow to
comply with their request.
He selected the principal or oldest chief, and made
a sketch of his face and figure by the fire-light; and
with such success that it was immediately recognized
-- 393 --
[figure description] Page 393.[end figure description]
by all the warriors; who were so delighted that they
laughed, and tapped Henry on the shoulder, and
grunted out the English word “Good!” which they
many times repeated.
The chief was quite proud of the drawing, and
carried it around in triumph, and then each of the
others wanted to have his likeness taken in the same
way.
Henry drew two more of the head warriors, or
chiefs, with quite as much success as the first, and
then signified that he was very much fatigued and
sleepy.
Though the savages would gladly have kept him
employed all night, they now forbore to press him
any further, but gave him his supper, and treated
him with something like respect. They were evidently
highly pleased with him, and already the idea
of adopting him had begun to take the place of
burning him; and when he signified his wish to lie
down, they seemed to hesitate about securing him
in so ignominious and cruel a manner as before.
They finally, after a brief consultation, pointed to a
spot in the centre of the camp, and permitted him
to lie down without any bonds at all, though some
half-a-dozen warriors stretched themselves out on
every side of him.
He had no opportunity to exchange
any further words with Tom; but he managed
to get a glance at his friend's eye, and saw by
its gleam that the old woodman was highly delighted
with his success thus far.
-- 394 --
[figure description] Page 394.[end figure description]
Tom, too, was treated with more leniency than
before—for instead of having his hands bound
behind his back, a ligature was merely passed
around each wrist, and the other end of each cord
fastened to the wrist of a warrior on each side of
him, so that the slightest movement of his arms
would draw upon theirs and give them timely notice—
while, on the contrary, Hampton was as effectually
and painfully secured as on the previous night.
When the camp had finally become still, Henry
pretended to fall asleep, though never wider awake
and with all his senses more keenly on the alert. He
had already, he felt, made a great stride toward
freedom; and he was now resolved, if there should
be any opportunity for escape, to take advantage of
it at whatever risk. He listened to every sound and
noted every breath, his heart the while beating
wildly with hope and fear.
About midnight, as near as he could judge, he
gently raised himself to a sitting posture and looked
over the still forms of his foes, stretched out all
around him. The fire had gone down, the night
was cloudy, and everything seemed favorable to his
escape, provided he could get beyond the sleeping
warriors without disturbing them. But though
wildly eager for liberty—even more on Isaline's account
than his own—he could not bear the thought
of leaving behind him his faithful friend Tom—for
the anger of the savages at his escape might be
vented on the brave woodman and his life be
-- 395 --
[figure description] Page 395.[end figure description]
sacrificed; and yet for both to get away, under the circumstances,
seemed next to an impossibility. If
Tom were free of his bonds, it would be a different
matter; but what chance was there that he could
liberate him without rousing some of the usually
light sleepers? And yet he was tempted, strongly
tempted, to make the dangerous attempt. He knew
where Tom was lying—only a few feet divided them;
but then, between the two, were several grim warriors;
and how hope to pass over them without disturbing
them? and how set his friend free, even
if he should reach him? If he only had a knife!
But then why not have one? since every savage
on either side of him had one in his belt.
With this thought and this hope, Henry quietly
sunk back to his place on the ground and stretched
himself out at full length as at first. Then he stole
his hand, very slowly and softly, to the belt of the
nearest Indian, and, with a wonderful delicacy of
touch, felt for the weapon. When at length his fingers
came in contact with what he sought, he fancied
he could hear his own heart beat; and as he slowly,
slowly, slowly drew forth the sharp steel, he fairly
held his breath. At last it was in his hand, and the
savage had not stirred; and then what an earnest
prayer of thanksgiving he breathed; and how fervently
he prayed that God would aid him to accomplish
a purpose of which the holiest angels must
approve! Then he sat up again and looked around
him in the dim light; and still finding all quiet, he
-- 396 --
[figure description] Page 396.[end figure description]
slowly rose to his feet and began to step over the
sleeping bodies with the greatest care. Now some
two or three of the savages turned over, with the
peculiar grunts or groans of disturbed sleepers, and
Henry stopped, with his heart in his mouth. His
purpose though was fixed. If discovered, he would
fly—bound away for his chances in the dark, surrounding
wood, come life or come death! But no
one discovered him. Stealthily his feet were carried
over the prostrate forms, and silently brought
down beside them, till he reached Tom, who quietly
lifted and nodded his head, to show that he was
awake and saw him. Here was the critical point—
now was the critical moment. If he could only liberate
Tom, and both gain the wood, then farewell to
Indian captivity, even though death should meance
in a thousand different forms. He bent down over his
friend, with his knife in his hand. He felt carefully
for the cord on one side, found it, and severed it.
One arm was free, and that arm was instantly raised
and the knife grasped by Tom. Henry understood
him, yielded up his weapon, and glided away. Just
beyond the circle of sleeping warriors, the young
artist paused and looked back. His heart beat almost
audibly as he saw a shadowy figure gliding
toward him; and the next moment his very soul
was thrilled with joy as he felt the cordial pressure
of Tom's hand in his.
Both were free, thank God! both!
-- 397 -- p473-402
CHAPTER XXVIII. THE BACK TRAIL.
[figure description] Page 397.[end figure description]
Stealthily and silently gliding away together,
as if one unspoken thought were actuating both, our
two friends put some fifty yards between them and
the Indians; and then Tom stopped, threw his
brawny arms around Henry, and almost hugged the
breath out of him.
“You done it glorious, boy, and I'd like to yell out
my feelings!” he whispered.
“Don't do it, Tom! for why incur needless risk?”
returned Henry, warningly.
“Risk be blowed,” rejoined Tom, “with us he-yar
in the woods and so much the start of them niggers!
I arn't afeard of risk; but I've got another reason.
We've got to hev a couple of guns and some hosses.
Whar's the use agwine afoot, like a couple of white
beggars, hey?”
“Oh, Tom,” said Henry, somewhat nervously, “do
not forget the fearful danger we must incur if we
attempt such a thing! We have recovered our
liberty almost by a miracle, and it would be flying
in the very face of Heaven not to make use of it
now!”
“That's jest what I thinks!” answered Tom, with
-- 398 --
[figure description] Page 398.[end figure description]
the perverseness of a bold, stubborn fellow. “Ef
we cl'ars out now, and don't use our chances, whar's
the use of heving'em? Harry, you done it glorious!”
he pursued, giving the young man another regular
bear hug; “and ef ever I says ary thing more
agin your fool finikies, jest feed me on turkey buzzards
till I get sense. Wagh! woofh! wagh! How
you tickled up the old paint-faces! Lord! ef I
only could squat down he-yar and yell it out!”
“Tom, Tom, my dear friend,” said Henry, in a reproving
tone, “you seem to forget where we are, and
what dangers still surround us!”
“No, I don't, Harry; but I never knowed you so
skeered afore.”
“Because you never saw me, Tom, when I felt
such a weight of responsibility resting on my soul.
Think of Isaline, Tom—think of Isaline!”
“That's a fact, Harry, and I guvs up the laughing
business to onct.”
“Come, then, let us hasten away from here before
the Indians miss us.”
“What! without guns or hosses? and them so
near?” returned Tom. “No, sir, younker—I can't
do it! See he-yar, lad—why didn't I cut the throats
of them devils as I war bound to, arter I'd got the
knife, hey?”
“Because you would have periled the safety of us
both!” replied Henry. “I hope you did not even
contemplate anything so rash!”
“I'd a done it,” pursued Tom, “only for one thing
-- 399 --
[figure description] Page 399.[end figure description]
—I knowed we'd git the hull camp up arter us,
and we'd not git nary hoss, and you knows I has a
hankering that way.”
“Tom, my dear friend,” returned Henry, “do not,
for Heaven's sake, drive me wild with any insane
freak of yours now! You have seen me suffer—but
you know little of what I have suffered after all. How
I have retained my senses, is more than I can understand;
but the good God has spared me and given
me my freedom, and you should be the last person
in the world to peril it!”
“Look a he-yar, Harry,” returned Tom, “I sees
you is making a mistake about me, and I'm agwine
to put you right. You've got your freedom, haint
you?”
“So far I have—yes.”
“Wall, what else you got?” queried Tom.
“I do not understand you, Tom.”
“No, I sees you don't; and I'm agwine to make
you, ef I kin. How does you s'pect we is agwine to
make our tracks through the wilderness, and come
it over the devils we is arter, ef we don't hev some
way to ride as well as them? and so'thing to fight
with and kill game with, hey?”
“But we had better make use of our freedom, and
trust the rest to that kind, watchful Providence that
has so far protected and preserved us!”
“I've not got nothing to say agin Providence and
all that,” returned Tom, in a matter-of-fact way; “but
ef Providence haint got no objection, I'd rayther hev
-- 400 --
[figure description] Page 400.[end figure description]
a gun in my hand and a good hoss under me—yes,
sir! Woofh! whar's the use?”
“So would I rather have a gun and a horse, Tom,
if we could get them, but I fear the attempt would
result in our destruction.”
“You didn't use to be afeard, Harry.”
“Nor am I now, Tom, afraid for myself merely;
but, for Heaven's sake, remember what we have at
stake! and what we are periling every moment we
remain here! Think, my dear friend—only think
for a moment—what will become of the colonel's
daughter—of poor Isaline Holcombe—if we be captured
again!”
“That's jest what I does think on,” persisted the
other, “and I don't intend the niggers shall hev us
ag'in—no, sir! See he-yar, Harry—ef you don't want
to risk it, let me try it alone! I'll be powerful keerful;
and ef I haps to raise the camp, jest you put out
and make long tracks, and leave me to sarcumvent
the Injuns in my own style!”
“No, Tom,” said Henry, firmly, “I will not desert
you like a coward. If you are resolved to go back,
I will go with you and share the danger, for danger
there will be. And now tell me, plainly and briefly,
what you hope to accomplish?”
Tom explained in a few words. As the Indians
were all asleep, and sleeping soundly, he thought he
could venture back to the nearest and abstract a
couple of their guns, which were lying on the ground
along side of them, and get off without waking them.
-- 401 --
[figure description] Page 401.[end figure description]
Then he and Henry could repair to where the horses
were tethered, select two of the best, mount them,
and escape in the darkness, even should the whole
camp then become alarmed.
“The most dangerous part of the exploit will be
in securing the guns,” said Henry; “but if you are
resolved upon the venture, so be it, and let us set
about it at once!”
“That's your tork!” returned Tom; “and jest you
come along, nigh up and handy like, so's I won't
miss you, and leave me to git the guns; and ef I
haps to raise a skeer, we'll put off together as we is
and let the rest go. I don't see no extra danger in't,
Harry.”
With this our two friends began, slowly, stealthily
and noiselessly, to creep up to the nearest Indians,
Tom taking the lead. The night, in the wood where
they were, was very dark. This would favor their
escape in case of alarm, but at the same time it rendered
it very difficult for them to distinguish the
forms of the sleepers. When near enough for his
purpose, Tom laid his hand upon the arm of Henry,
as a signal for him to stop, and then crept forward
alone. For a minute or two Henry held his breath
in fearful expectation; and then, to his great relief
and joy, he perceived the dim, shadowy figure of
Tom creeping back to him, with two muskets resting
on his shoulder.
“I could hev killed the sleepy dorgs easy,” he
said, in the lowest possible whisper—a whisper that
-- 402 --
[figure description] Page 402.[end figure description]
could not have been heard a foot from the ear of the
listener—“but I thought as how they mought
screech, or so'thing, and so I didn't, though the old
knife war itching to be into 'em!”
“No, no, Tom, let us do nothing rash!” returned
Henry, in the same low, guarded manner. “God be
thanked you have got away so far with all you
sought! and now let us steal off to the horses.”
“Not quite yit, Harry,” rejoined Tom; “I've forgot
so'thing. Wagh! shagh! fool that I war!
Whar's the use of the guns without powder and ball,
hey? I've got to go back for them.”
“Oh, Tom, be contented with what you have, and
not risk your life again!” said Henry, fairly trembling
at the thought of another perilous venture into
the very jaws of death as it were.
“Whar's the use?” grumbled Tom, with dogged
determination; “guns won't shoot without powder
and ball. I'll fotch 'em, never you fear. The niggers
has got thar horns and pouches fastened to 'em—
but I've got a knife as kin cut 'em cl'ar in two
jiffies. You stay he-yar, and take keer of the guns,
and I'll be back in no time.”
Henry would have remonstrated further, only
that he knew it would be useless, and so he merely
said:
“Be careful then, Tom! oh, for the love of God,
be careful!”
Tom crept away again, and for another two or
three minutes Henry awaited his return with his
-- 403 --
[figure description] Page 403.[end figure description]
heart in his mouth. He listened intently, breathlessly,
for every sound; and once, when the sudden
howling of a neighboring wolf came borne to his
ear, he started and trembled with the first impression
that it was a noise in the camp. All grew still
again, and shortly after he was rejoiced at seeing the
dark figure of Tom creeping back to him.
“I've done it, younker!” was the triumphant
whisper of the old woodman; “he-yar they is; and
now we're ready to put out for the hosses and let
these yere devils snooze on. When they wakes in
the morning and finds we arn't thar, they kin take
thar mad out o' Hampton, and be — to the hull
caboodle of 'em!”
Only for prudential reasons, Tom would have
indulged in a loud, boisterous laugh, at his wonderful
success in what he called his “sarcumvintion of
the snoozing niggers;” and even as it was, the
thought of the trick he had played them, caused
him to lie down and shake his sides, though no
sound issued from his lips. Henry, as we know,
was, for many urgent reasons, most fearfully anxious
to be gone, and to him the present mirth of Tom
appeared ill-timed and almost cruel.
“Come,” he said, bending down and putting his
mouth to the ear of his rough friend, “are you not
forgetting, in your unseemly mirth, that the colonel's
daughter is even now in the hands of cruel, murderous
villains?”
“Right, Harry?” returned Tom, at once starting
-- 404 --
[figure description] Page 404.[end figure description]
up in a serious mood; “I'm a rigerlar beast to forgit
that poor gal! Now then for the hosses, younker,
and then we'll make some tracks as these yere
devils can't foller!”
He rose to his feet, with all due caution, took one
of the guns, and glided away in the direction of the
tethered animals, Henry following close behind him.
The horses were found all near together, about a
stone's throw from the Indian camp. They had fed
to their satisfaction on the rich, rank grass of the
charming spot, and most of them were now lying
down. Unknown to our friends, two savages had
been set to watch the animals; but these fellows,
overpowered with drowsiness, had fallen asleep at
their posts. Fortunately both Tom and Henry proceeded
here with the same silent caution which had
already given them so much success. Most of the
beasts had been ridden with halters instead of
bridles; but there were some half-a-dozen of the
latter, which had been stolen from the whites; and
these were found in the general pile, where all had
been thrown down together, and which our friends
happened to stumble upon at the very first. Selecting
two of the best bridles, which they did rather
by feeling than sight, they glided in among the
horses, some of which started up and began to snuff
and snort in a rather alarming manner. The noise
woke up the guard, who spoke to the animals in
their native tongue, and was the first intimation our
friends had of their dangerous proximity. Henry,
-- 405 --
[figure description] Page 405.[end figure description]
in view of the vital importance his escape might be
to Isaline—still thinking of her rather than of himself,
except in so much as his own safety might affect
hers—now trembled like an aspen; but Tom remained
perfectly cool, though he was not a little
alarmed. Fortunately our friends were already
among the horses, where the Indians could not perceive
them in the thick darkness, and both had the
judgment and presence of mind to keep perfectly
still, till the nearest animals, having smelt of them
to their satisfaction, ceased to show any signs of
fear. Then Tom quietly and noiselessly cut the
tethers of all near him, and slipped the bridles upon
two that he judged to be the best for a race, for
speed alone was what he now required. This done,
and with the bridle-reins of both in his hands, he
began to feel secure, and, as he afterward expressed
it, “didn't keer a continental copper how soon the
red-nigger camp mought git its back up.”
“Harry,” he whispered, “I'm agwine to hev a
lettle fun he-yar, and do so'thing for our safety too.
Jest you hold these yere hosses, whilst I cuts all the
ropes; and when we goes, we'll skeer off the hull
caboodle, and let the cussed imps hev a hunt for'
em!”
“Be careful that the Indians don't see and fire on
you then!” returned Henry, who knew from experience
how useless it would be to remonstrate with
his companion against one of his whims.
Tom immediately set about his design; and though
-- 406 --
[figure description] Page 406.[end figure description]
the space occupied by the horses was not large, it
was nearly a quarter of an hour before he returned
to the side of the impatient Henry and announced
that all was completed.
“Now then, younker, we're ready to guv'em the
dodge—so up with you!” he said.
Henry, as may readily be believed, was not slow
to obey an order he had so long and tremblingly
waited for, and almost the next moment he was
upon the back of a high-mettled beast and beginning
to feel as if he were really breathing the air of freedom.
Tom was longer in mounting, for his animal
suddenly became very restive; but he shortly succeeded
in throwing himself upon his back; and then,
as if he could no longer restrain his pent-up feelings,
he gave one of the loudest and wildest yells ever
heard in that region—a yell that was enough to scare
the living if not to waken the dead—and which
went echoing and re-echoing far away among the
surrounding hills. It frightened the beasts, alarmed
the guard, and roused up the camp; and the next
minute there was a scene of the wildest confusion—
horses running, Indians yelling and firing at random,
and Tom shouting and laughing, as with his companion
he dashed swiftly away.
For the first five minutes the flying fugitives
might have been traced by the shouts, yells and
laughter of Tom, who could not contain himself.
“Go it, old paint-faces—waw! haw! waw!” he
shouted; “go it, you infarnal old sculp-locks—waw!
-- 407 --
[figure description] Page 407.[end figure description]
haw! waw! How does you like finikies by this
time? Didn't we come it over you beautiful! you—
lazy, cantankerous, snoozing old hounds!
Thought you'd got us, didn't ye? and then wakes
up to find we'd got you—waw! haw! waw! Burn
us, will ye? Make red-niggers o' us, will ye? Not
ef we knows ourselves—no, sir! Thar's that beauty
Hampton for ye, that went to ye for the love o' the
thing—s'pose you tries it on to him! Whoop! wagh!
shagh! whar's the use?”
Thus he continued, while dashing away through
a rather open wood, till the stumbling of his horse
pitched him off over the animal's head and put an
abrupt termination to his excessive hilarity.
“Good heavens, Tom! are you hurt?” cried Henry
in alarm, who was riding close enough to be aware
of the accident almost as soon as it happened.
“S'pect my skull arn't smashed nor my neck
broke!” muttered Tom, in a rather doleful tone, as
he slowly gathered himself up, and tried his limbs, to
see if they were all sound and whole; “but this yere
arn't the best way to git off a hoss, I'll sw'ar.”
“You may be thankful it is no worse!” returned
Henry, reprovingly; “and I hope it will be a warning
to you, not to conduct yourself in so wild and
boisterous a manner!”
“Ef you is agwine to preach,” growled Tom, “I'll
go back and stop with the Injuns till you gits
through. Whar's the use? Who put the finikies
-- 408 --
[figure description] Page 408.[end figure description]
into your head, to use 'em agin the savage imps,
hey?”
“Come, come, my brave friend, don't be angry
with me now!” said Henry, in a tone calculated to
allay the irritation of the rough borderer. “I admit
I owe my liberty, if not my life, to you; but there
is so much at stake even yet, that I must be pardoned
for asking you to be serious and reasonable
now and assist me with your advice.”
“Wall, thar, younker,” rejoined the mollified Tom,
“it's all right—straight as a loon's leg—and we'll
not say no more about it. I war tickled though,
Harry, and I couldn't help it, to think o' how we'd
sarcumvented them hellyuns, and how the old
greasy paint-faces ud look at one and t'other, and
sw'ar in Injun about the way we'd put out without
axing leave.”
“Well, now then, Tom, that we are away, what
is best for us to do?” anxiously queried Henry.
“What I want to do is, to rescue Isaline Holcombe
in the shortest possible time; but how to find her—
how to seek for her—that is the point! Where
shall we begin? Oh, God! to think how many unknown
miles stretch between us! and what an awful
demon has her in his power! I must not think—I
must not—or I shall go mad! I must act, act, act—
all the time act—but how? Oh, Tom, my dear
friend, aid me with all your experience, your wisdom,
your knowledge! for I am almost as helpless as
-- 409 --
[figure description] Page 409.[end figure description]
when I was a bound prisoner in the hands of the
savages.”
“Harry,” replied Tom, penitently, coming up to
Henry and grasping his hand, “it war right down
beastly in me to be a laughing, like a old fool, with
you in sich misery; and ef I does it ag'in, may I
choke with a green persimmon! I'll do all I kin
fur you and the colonel's darter—God bless her
sweet, purty face! but afore we kin make a start
arter her, I s'pects we've got to wait fur daylight.”
“That is hours, Tom—hours!” cried Henry, with
a lover's wild impatience; “and every minute is an
age while she remains in such hands! Oh, Heaven
of mercy! can nothing be done to-night? Think,
Tom—think—and suggest something! something!
something!”
“Look-a he-yar, Harry, my poor feller, and see
how things stand!” said Tom. “The poor gal war
tuk away last night at dark—”
“Oh, God preserve her!” ejaculated Henry.
—“And sence then,” pursued Tom, “we've ben
tramped over a heap o' country.”
“Nobody better than I knows every painful step!”
groaned Henry.
“Wall, we've got to go back over that thar same
ground ag'in—foller the trail back'ard—else how'll
we come to the p'int whar she war stole off?”
“True! I see!”
“And how's we agwine to do that when it's so
dark a feller can't tell hisself from a burnt stump?”
-- 410 --
[figure description] Page 410.[end figure description]
“Can we not find the right direction, and make
some progress toward the last night's camp?”
anxiously inquired Henry.
“I don't reckon as how we kin, Harry. I'm some
in the woods, I'll allow; but I don't exactly know
whar we is now, and I can't see the p'ints of the
hills to make it out. You see we left rayther sudden
and come he-yar—but whar? We're not fur
off from the Injun camp, but I've got to hev daylight
to find our back trail.”
“Then nothing can be done till morning?”
groaned Henry.
“I'm afeard not,” answered Tom, “'cept we goes
on a bit and gits furder off from the Injuns.”
“Do you think they will attempt to pursue us?”
“I reckons not—leastways they can't do it hossback
till they cotches thar runaway beasts—and it's
my opine they won't try it he-yar: on thar own
stamping ground it mought be different.”
“Well, my friend,” sighed Henry, “you must do
what you think best. However painful it may be
to wait, I must bow to fate and submit all to your
superior judgment.”
“It won't be a great while till morning,” said
Tom, “though it'll seem a good while to wait; but
I don't know nothing better. I reckon we'd best
go on a piece furder and stop—for ef we gits too
fur, it'll bother us to know whar we is and find the
trail we want.”
In pursuance of this plan, Tom again mounted
-- 411 --
[figure description] Page 411.[end figure description]
his horse, and the two proceeded slowly through the
wood for about a mile, descending into a valley and
ascending a steep hill, on the summit of which they
came to a halt, and there remained through the
hours, that seemed like ages to Henry, till light
once more banished darkness from the scene.
As soon as it was light enough to see clearly, our
friends took an eager survey of the landscape spread
out before them.
“I knows whar we is now,” said Tom, “for I
al'ays notes the p'ints when I travels. D'yer see
that ar' tallest hill over yon, with a big rock on top,
and a few trees standing up cl'ar agin the sky?”
“Yes, yes, Tom—I see!”
“Wall, in the holler this side, ar' whar we come
along yesterday, purty much down in the mouth,
and thar we'll find the trail.”
“But the Indian camp, Tom—where is that?”
“Can't see it from he-yar, case it's down in a
holler, right over behind that ar' hill you sees to
the right o' us.”
“Then we were going right away from our former
trail?”
“Some'at; and ef we hadn't a stopped, we'd a got
twistified round, so's we'd a had a good deal of
bother to git ourselves right.”
“Well, now then to get upon that trail—which of
course will be as easily followed as a road, on
account of so many horses having passed over it—
and then to fly back to our previous camp with all
-- 412 --
[figure description] Page 412.[end figure description]
possible speed!” said Henry, preparing to remount
the horse which he already held by the bridle.
“I s'pect that's the tork!” replied Tom, examining
his musket and ammunition, and calculating the
chances of being able to find and kill some game
for food—for he was one of your fellows who had
no partiality for travelling far on an empty stomach.
“I wonders ef this yere old thing 'll go off and hit
a beast right afore your nose!” he pursued. “Agh!
ef I'd only thought to go over to the pile whar the
niggers had put our rifles, I'd a done so'thing decent
and Christian-like! Shagh! whar's the use?”
“No use now, Tom, in wasting these precious
moments in regrets for what we did not do!” returned
Henry, impatiently; “but rather let us be
thankful to God for what we did accomplish, and
make the best use possible of our present circumstances!
Come, come—why delay another moment
here?”
“That's a fact,” replied the other, “and I'm with
you to the death!” He quickly remounted his
horse, and added: “Foller me, and I'll take you
round so's we'll strike the trail about three mile
from this.”
“You will not miss it, Tom?”
“I never misses nothing, younker, when I knows
the p'ints!” was the sententious rejoinder of the
experienced hunter and scout.
Away they dashed, on their high-spirited beasts,
riding as swiftly as the rough nature of the ground
-- 413 --
[figure description] Page 413.[end figure description]
would permit. In less than an hour they struck
the trail of the previous day, and rapidly followed
it back toward the camp from which Isaline had
been taken.
As the day wore on to noon, Tom began to think
seriously of his empty stomach; but Henry, lover-like,
thought only of the rescue of the fair being
who was all the world to him. What was food to
him—what was life even—unless Isaline could be
saved from a fate worse than death? He would
have gone on, and on, day and night, if necessary
and possible, with never a thought for himself, until
it should have been forced upon him by sinking nature;
but Tom was no lover, and had no intention
of feeding on air, for even one entire day, if he could
possibly find anything more substantial. He was
anxious to rescue Isaline, and would have risked his
life for her against any living foe with a bare chance
of success; but he had no idea of starving himself
in advance, merely for the hope of reaching her a
few minutes sooner. The horses, too, from having
been ridden fast over rough ground, were now sweating
and panting and showing signs of fatigue, and
Rough Tom Sturgess was not the man to forget his
beast. So at last, on reaching the foot of a steep
hill, the only one that now divided him and his companion
from the camp-ground they were seeking, he
pulled up his horse and said:
“Harry, hold up, and say ef we're agwine to noon
this side of the hill or t'other?”
-- 414 --
[figure description] Page 414.[end figure description]
“Noon, Tom?” repeated Henry, with a look of
surprise.
“In course we've got to stop and rest a bit, younker,
and me and the hosses has got to hev so'thing
to eat; ef you kin live without it, you kin beat us;
but I've got a holler in me you could dance a jig in,
and I wants to fill it.”
It was finally agreed that they should continue on
to the camp-ground, for Henry was eager to see if
the trail left by the horse of Methoto, and subsequently
by Blodget and his Indians, was still clear
enough to be easily followed, as much of his hope of
successful pursuit would depend upon that.
In less than an hour they reached the eventful
place, and Henry fairly trembled with emotions excited
by a return to the spot which he had first
beheld as a bound and helpless prisoner, and where
he had seen the idol of his soul borne away from
him by a human beast. His first act, on reaching
this scene of such painful remembrances, was to leap
from his horse and make an eager search for the trail
of Methoto and Blodget; and when he found it, and
saw it was possible to follow it, he became so much
affected, that he leaned against a tree and shed tears,
the first that had filled his eyes since parting from
her he so devotedly loved.
“Don't cry, Harry!” said Tom, sympathetically.
“Thank God that I can!” returned Henry; “for
my brain has all along been on fire, and my heart
ready to burst, and this is the first relief I have felt.
-- 415 --
[figure description] Page 415.[end figure description]
Oh, Tom, this trail can be followed, and who knows
but we shall find her yet?—find her and save her!”
“In course we shall, my lad—in course we shall—
or else whar's the use of guving the cussed savages
the dodge and coming back he-yar in sich a hurry?
In course we'll find her and save her—for haint I all
along told you thar'd so'thing turn up and fotch it
out all right?”
On further examination of the trail, it was found
to be too obscure for following on horseback; and
then the question arose as to what was to be done
with the animals, for Tom did not want to lose them
altogether. It was finally decided that they should
be unbridled and set free, and the chance be risked
of finding them again in case they should be needed.
This being settled, and the horses led away to a
quiet, grassy spot, and the bridles concealed in an
old hollow log, our two friends immediately set off
on the trail of the villains—Tom remarking that, as
he was now afoot, he would be as likely to find game
in that direction as any other. The trail not being
fresh, was in many places so obscure that it became
slow, tedious work to make it out; and the impatient
Henry, who would have flown on the wings of
the wind to the rescue of the being he so devotedly
loved, was compelled to toil on at a snail-like pace.
Once, where it entered a small stream and was lost,
an hour was consumed in finding it; and just at the
point where it was recovered, Tom was so fortunate
as to get a shot at a deer and kill it. Then more
-- 416 --
[figure description] Page 416.[end figure description]
time was lost in kindling a fire and cooking a portion
of the animal—for Tom declared he would not
go another step till he should have “filled his
holler.”
Thus the day wore away, and Henry groaned in
spirit when at last another night shut in the scene
and put an end to his search for many a long hour.
“Oh, Father in Heaven, support me and aid me,
and deliver her into my hands who is more to me
than life!” he prayed.
-- 417 -- p473-422
CHAPTER XXIX. OVER THE CLIFF.
[figure description] Page 417.[end figure description]
It would be worse than useless to attempt a portrayal
of the feelings of Isaline Holcombe as she
found herself being borne away by the dreadful Methoto.
She could not have described them herself,
because there are certain sensations of horrid despair
for which language has no adequate expression.
Fancy yourself being carried off by a demon into
outer darkness, and you have the nearest approach
to what she experienced that can possibly be given.
She had screamed out in her agony of horror, and then
had become silent, though not unconscious. She
knew and felt and thought rapidly, with a thousand
recollections of the past crowding upon her every
moment; but hers was the passively physical state of
awful dread and uncertainty of one standing on the
drop of the scaffold waiting to be launched into eternity.
Away and away they sped through the forest,
with its gathering gloom of advancing night, Methoto
holding her with arms of iron and urging onward
his rushing beast. She heard the yells of his
pursuers for a time, and prayed they might be successful
in recapturing her—for far better, she
thought, to be in the hands of savages and near him
-- 418 --
[figure description] Page 418.[end figure description]
she loved, than alone in the power of the strange being
who was bearing her she knew not whither, nor
to what doom. But as night drew on, even this
poor hope died out—for the sounds of pursuit gradually
grew distant and then ceased altogether—and
Isaline felt that nothing but God's mercy could save
her.
“Squaw girl mine!” now muttered Methoto, as
if to himself, with his strong arms pressing her even
closer to him.
It is one of the mercies of Heaven, that hope,
phoœnix like, often springs into new life from the
very ashes of despair; and so was it now with poor
Isaline, in this her darkest hour of trial. Her spirits
had sunk to the last degree at which consciousness
could be retained, and for a time she felt utterly
prostrated and helpless—as if she were nothing but
a piece of dull clay in the hands of a fiery potter.
Then came back, as a ray of light gleaming in upon
a sea of night, a slight gathering of courage, and a
faint renewal of hope, each strengthening the other
into new and active life. She was alone with this
man, she reasoned—who, dark and brutalized
though he might be, was still human and swayed by
selfish passions, such as govern most men, however
they may be concealed or displayed—and why not
use her only weapon of self-defence, and play upon
his feelings for a righteous purpose—the protection
and salvation of herself? Why had he snatched her
away from all others and deserted his companions
-- 419 --
[figure description] Page 419.[end figure description]
forever? Was it not because of a strong, wild passion
he had conceived for her? too selfishly barbarous
to be dignified by the holy term of love, and
yet not unlike it in some of its effects! Then why
not make use of this passion—which, if left to its
wild course, would destroy her—why not make use
of it and mould it and control it to save herself?
She had once before tried her powers of fascination
on him with the success she sought, and why not
again? As he had fled from the Indians in a way
that would most probably preclude forever a return
to them, might she not persuade him to seek out some
of his own race and color, and thus get herself into
the hands of men strong enough to take her from his
possession and restore her to her father? or if not
this, might she not succeed in keeping herself from
harm till some opportune moment should arrive for
escaping from his vigilance?
With this worthy object in view, poor Isaline,
with her very soul racked with anguish at the recollection
of the terrible events that had been crowded
upon her within the last few days, prepared to play
a part at such total variance with her feelings that
she even shuddered while she contemplated it.
Summoning all her faculties to her aid, she at length
spoke the name of Methoto, in a low, quiet tone.
“Oogh!” grunted the white savage.
“Where are you going?” asked Isaline.
“Run away from Injun!” was the answer, in a
-- 420 --
[figure description] Page 420.[end figure description]
tone indicating some surprise, for evidently the
question was not expected.
“You will not harm me, Methoto?” said Isaline,
in the same quiet way.
“Me no hurt squaw girl!” was the reply.
“Will you not tell me then where you are going?”
“Me don't know—get heap away from Injun.”
“The Indians have already given up the pursuit,
I think.”
“May be so Injun follow trail to-morrow.”
“Then we had better go to some station, where
we can be protected!” said Isaline.
“No un'stand much speak Englee!” was the reply.
Isaline repeated her suggestion in even a more
simple form.
“Methoto 'fraid white man hang um.”
“If Methoto will treat me well, and do me no
harm, I will say to the white men they must not
harm Methoto.”
“Oogh! squaw girl mine!” said the other.
“Yes, I am in your hands; and I can say to the
white men that Methoto has been kind to me; and
then they may not hurt you, but give you handsome
presents.”
“No want present—want squaw girl live Methoto!”
“Well, could I not live there with you better
than here?”
“May be so white girl run away again!” said the
suspicious white savage. “Best stay in wood, guess!”
-- 421 --
[figure description] Page 421.[end figure description]
“But how can we live in the wood? We must
have something to eat.”
“Me got gun—shoot heap.”
“But I must have corn as well as meat.”
“Me get heap corn for squaw wife.”
“Where can you get corn?”
“Me go steal um.”
“But we must have a house to live in.”
“Me go where house white squaw see when run
away.”
“That is a great way off, and we cannot get there
to-night.”
“Much ride fast all night.”
“But it is dark now, Methoto, and I am afraid the
bushes will hurt me: they often strike against my
face.”
“Oogh! so me show!” said the other, bending
Isaline over toward the neck of the horse as he
spoke, and then putting his own head down near
hers. “So bushes no hurt!” he pursued, urging his
beast at the same time to greater speed. “Much
ride so heap fast, no hurt!” he added.
“But where are you going, Methoto?” repeated
the poor girl, with a feeling of despair.
“Much run heap, then stop!” he said.
Isaline now felt there was nothing more she could
say or do at present, and so she remained quiet and
silent, permitting matters to take their own course,
but praying Heaven to guide her to some point of
safety.
-- 422 --
[figure description] Page 422.[end figure description]
Away and away sped the panting beast, under the
trees and through the thickets, up hill and down,
going she knew not whither, but swiftly putting
mile after mile between her and him to whom her
soul went out in a great agony of yearning sympathy
and love, and whom she had left a bound and
helpless prisoner in the hands of cruel savages and
might never behold again with mortal eyes. Oh!
the agony, the unutterable anguish, of that long,
dismal, painful ride!
Methoto did not pretend to guide his horse. It
would have been useless attempting to do so, for
the beast could see much better than himself. He
did not seem to care whither the animal went, so
that he kept on and on, and put mile after mile
between him and the savages. It was a heavy
barden the poor beast was carrying at such a rapid
pace; but though he foamed and panted, Methoto
gave no heed to his condition, and still urged him
forward, taxing his strength to the utmost, and
seeming to care for nothing but his own selfish purpose.
“Oh, Methoto, you will kill me!” at length
groaned poor Isaline.
“Me no hurt squaw girl!” replied the white Indian,
mistaking the meaning of his fair prisoner.
“Why do you not stop? at least for rest?” said
Isaline.
“Bime-by stop!” grunted Methoto. “Get much
heap away from Injun!”
-- 423 --
[figure description] Page 423.[end figure description]
The horse soon after entered a small stream and
stopped himself to drink.
“Water good break trail!” said Methoto, as the
idea occurred to him, that here, by this means, he
might baffle pursuit. “Oogh! water much good
fool Injun!” he pursued. “Us go heap 'long water!”
He waited till the panting beast had drank his
fill, and then guided him slowly down the bed of
the stream, the water of which was only a few inches
deep, but the footing rough and uncertain. He kept
on in this way for a mile or more, and then said,
with a sort of laugh:
“Guess Injun have heap hunt now!”
He then turned his horse to the opposite bank,
and again urged him forward through the wood, as
uncertain about where he was, or whither he was
going, as Isaline herself.
At last they ascended a short, but rather steep,
hill or ridge; and just as they fairly reached the
top of it, the wild, terrifying shriek of the Phantom
was heard ringing through the forest. Isaline was
startled, but Methoto was scared. As superstitious
as any of the savages, he believed it to be a demon
of darkness; and remembering what the Indians
had said concerning whoever should attempt to
harm Isaline—and remembering, too, the misfortune
which had overtaken Hampton for doing far less
perhaps than he was doing now—he suddenly felt
his heart sink, and began to tremble like a coward.
Instinctively he jerked out his tomahawk and struck
-- 424 --
[figure description] Page 424.[end figure description]
the horse a violent blow on the flank. The beast,
already snorting with fear, made a wild leap forward,
and the next moment attempted to recoil on
the verge of a precipice. Too late—the momentum
was too great—and, after hanging poised for a bare
moment, over he went; and riders and horse went
down—down—far down—upon the rough and stony
earth below!
The noble brute struck with a dull shock; and
then he himself sent forth a shriek more wild and
terrifying than that which had been the primary
cause of the disaster. He shrieked and struggled
for a few moments; and then, uttering a long, heavy
dismal groan, remained still in death.
And his riders? how was it with them?
Isaline lay on one side of the dead beast, and
Methoto on the other. They had both struck with
a shock, and a rebound that had sundered and sent
them different ways; as if Nature herself, abhorring
the late union, had here asserted her great law of
repulsion and parted them forever—separated the
dark, guilty man from the sweet, innocent maiden.
Both lay still. Were they both dead? was all
over with them? Had their mortal existence already
closed and eternity already opened upon their
immortal being?
For a short time after the last expiring struggle
of the beast, beth lay there, upon the hard, stony
earth, near the rippling plash of water, in the dark
-- 425 --
[figure description] Page 425.[end figure description]
gloom of night, motionless as the huge rocks above them.
Then there began to be signs of life in one. Methoto
stirred and groaned—stirred and groaned again—
and then, slowly and painfully, raised up his head
and body—a ghastly sight if he could have been
seen—his body all bruised and his face all bloody.
Slowly he turned his face around and tried to pierce
the gloom. He could not see far enough to comprehend
his situation. To the left and above him rose
the high cliff over which he had fallen—to the right
and a little below, stretched out a dark river—and
before him lay the dead body of his horse, with perhaps
another dead body, a human body, a little beyond.
He put up his hand and felt of the cuts and
bruises on his head, wiped the blood from his face
and eyes, and then attempted to get upon his feet.
He made the effort, shrieked and fell back. Miserable
wretch! the punishment of Heaven was now upon
him! Both of his legs were broken, and one was
fearfully shattered and crushed!
The shriek of Methoto seemed to rouse up Isaline.
She uttered two or three low moans, and then
raised her head and looked wildly and fearfully
around her. She evidently did not comprehend all
at first—for she said, as if speaking to herself, putting
one hand to her forehead:
“Where am I? where am I?”
Methoto groaned, but Isaline did not heed.
“Ha! what is this?” exclaimed Isaline, raising
-- 426 --
[figure description] Page 426.[end figure description]
herself still more, and looking wonderingly at the
dead beast, which lay between her and the white
savage. “Ah, yes, I remember now! That strange,
terrible man was carrying me off, when we went
over some awful precipice—down, down, down—
Heaven only knows where! Am I alone? has
he gone and left me? or has he been killed by the
fall?”
Methoto groaned again.
“Ha! what is that?”
“Me killed!” groaned the white Indian.
“Is it you, Methoto?” said Isaline, getting upon
her feet and looking quickly around, till her eyes
fell upon him, stretched out beyond the horse, like a
black shadow. “Are you badly hurt, Methoto?”
she asked, in a tone of sympathy, all her sweet, womanly
feelings rising above the remembrance of her
wrongs, at this knowledge of distress, and going up
to Heaven like a living prayer.
“Oogh! me killed!” groaned the sufferer again.
“Water! water! water!”
The shock of the fall, which had partly stunned
her together with her overstrained feelings, both
before and while she was going down, as she believed,
to certain death, had brought on a temporary
swoon, or state of unconsciousness; and this, and a
few slight bruises, were, through the mercy of that
Providence in which she had so much faith, the
only injuries our sweet heroine had received. She,
therefore, without difficulty, walked around to where
-- 427 --
[figure description] Page 427.[end figure description]
Methoto was lying stretched out in the most agonizing
pain, and stood beside that dark man of crime
like an angel of light.
“Squaw girl no hurt Methoto—me heap sorry!”
said the poor wretch, in a piteous tone, evidently
thinking he must say something to appease the anger
of her who now, by the reversed condition in which
they were placed, had it in her power to avenge her
own wrongs.
“If you are sorry, Methoto,” said Isaline, kindly
and solemnly, “may the Great Spirit forgive you!”
“Me heap sorry!” groaned Methoto. “Squaw girl
forgive?” he asked, with eager earnestness.
“You probably acted according to your nature
and the light you had received, and I will let the
past go and do what I can for you, now that you
have met with such fearful retribution!” answered
Isaline.
Methoto only partly comprehended her, and
quickly repeated:
“Squaw girl forgive?”
“As you understand it—yes!” replied Isaline.
“Me love squaw girl heap!”
“You must not talk so to me!” said Isaline
reprovingly; “our natures are too far asunder for
that!”
“Me no un'stand much speak.”
“You must not talk to me of love!” repeated Isaline;
“I do not like to hear you. I cannot love
-- 428 --
[figure description] Page 428.[end figure description]
you, but I will do what I can to help you now.
Where are you hurt?”
“Leg broke! broke! broke!” groaned the other.
“Water! water! water!”
“I hear water near us,” said Isaline, kindly, “and
I think I see a river, but I have no means for bringing
it to you.”
Methoto thought of his cap, made of the skin of a
raccoon, which was lying by his side; and handing
this to Isaline, he said:
“Fill water!”
Isaline hurried down to the stream, dipped it full,
and returned in haste to the groaning sufferer with
about half of it, the other half having leaked out on
the way. Methoto seized the rude vessel with both
hands, and almost poured the remainder down his
throat.
“Good!” he grunted. “More! more!”
Isaline went again, and still again, before Methoto
became satisfied.
“Can I do anything more for you?” asked the noble-hearted
girl, seeming to forget herself in her
sympathy for the sufferings of one who had in effect,
if not in intent, proved himself a cruel foe.
“Oh, me killed!” groaned the other. “Where me
go?”
“Alas, poor man, I cannot tell you—I know not
where we are myself!” replied Isaline, now trembling
at the thought of her own lonely, unprotected
-- 429 --
[figure description] Page 429.[end figure description]
condition, and recalling, with a terrible pang, the
still more awful condition of him she loved.
They had ridden for hours—they had ridden mile
upon mile—and yet, strange to say, they were now
less than a league and a half from the Indian camp
they had left! Without a guide, the poor dumb
beast had taken by chance a long, round-about
course, and had at last fallen over one of the precipitous
cliffs of the Kentucky River.
While poor Isaline stood before Methoto in harrowing
perplexity, and the latter lay writhing and
groaning with pain, that most dismal of all sounds, to
be heard at night when abroad in the forest alone,
the howl of a prowling, hungry wolf, came borne up
against the light breeze and made Isaline shudder.
Soon after, the first howl was answered by another
in a different direction; and then by another, and
still another; and every minute the trembling maiden
fancied the dismal sounds drew nearer, as if the
smell of blood had tainted the whole atmosphere
and was bringing these ravenous creatures to their
feast.
“Oh, merciful Heaven, we shall have the wild
wolves upon us!” she exclaimed in terror.
“Where gun?” asked Methoto, quickly, as if in
alarm, and lifting up his body with his hands.
“I do not know—I have not seen it!” answered
the trembling Isaline.
“Me drop—squaw find—quick!”
Isaline began a hurried search, getting down on
-- 430 --
[figure description] Page 430.[end figure description]
her knees and feeling all around with her hands.
She spent some five minutes in this manner, and yet
met with no success—the howling of the wolves
meantime sounding oftener and nearer, as if they
were gradually collecting together and approaching
the fated spot where the dead beast lay.
“Oh, my God! we shall be torn to pieces at last!”
she exclaimed, wringing her hands in terror.
“Squaw girl find Methoto gun!” cried the now
frightened white savage.
“I cannot find it, Methoto!” almost gasped Isaline.
“I have felt all around, on every side, and it
is not here! Oh, Heaven, what is to be done? The
wolves are coming nearer and nearer. There! hark!
that one was not far off! Oh, Father in Heaven,”
she prayed, with clasped hands and upturned eyes,
“Thou who hast in Thy holy wisdom preserved me
through so many perils, vouchsafe me some deliverance
now, that I be not torn to death by these wild
beasts!”
“Must go water!” cried Methoto, beginning to
drag himself toward the river.
At that moment, while the dismal voices of the
gathering wolves were filling the souls of Isaline
and Methoto with terror, the strange, wild, prolonged,
quavering, and seemingly unearthly shriek
of the Phantom, came thrilling down from above,
as if it might be the agonized cry of a lost spirit,
or an avenging demon.
-- 431 --
[figure description] Page 431.[end figure description]
For a moment Isaline stood speechless, as if paralyzed,
and Methoto uttered a wild, terrified yell.
The wolves howled louder and nearer, and the
Phantom or Demon shrieked again.
Isaline felt as if her senses were leaving her, and
Methoto forgot his pain in his terror.
Again the wolves howled, and again the Unknown
shrieked.
It was as if Pandemonium were coming to earth,
Finding again the use of her limbs, Isaline sprung
to Methoto and cowered down by his side. Poor
girl! it was the only shadow of protection that occurred
to her almost distracted mind. She felt as if
she must be beside something human, or else lose
her senses.
“Must get river! must get river!” groaned the
terrified Methoto, making a desperate struggle to
drag himself forward by his hands.
“Here, I will help you all I can!” cried Isaline,
starting up and seizing one of his arms. “Far better
to drown than to be torn to death by wild beasts!”
“'Fraid Devil catch um!” gasped the wounded
white savage, more fearful of the shrieking Evil
Spirit, as he supposed the Unknown to be, than of
the hungry wolves, which were not likely to attack
a human being at that season of the year, especially
with other less dangerous food so near.
The water was only a few feet distant from the
base of the cliff, and, assisted by Isaline, Methoto
made a terrible effort to reach it, dragging his
-- 432 --
[figure description] Page 432.[end figure description]
crushed and broken limbs over the stony beach,
with such excruciating pain as almost to deprive
him of his senses.
The water was not deep along the shore, and
Methoto soon reached and dragged himself into it,
still assisted by Isaline, who waded in with less fear
of danger there than from the beach where the
approaching wolves would soon be gathered.
And where they were soon gathered indeed; for,
looking back, she presently beheld fiery eyes and
shadowy forms, and heard the most terrific and
savage growls, as they leaped in together upon the
carcass of the unfortunate horse, and began to rend
it in pieces and devour it with the wildest, maddened
fury. It was a sight calculated to shake the stoutest
nerves and make the bravest heart quail; and how
poor, unprotected Isaline could look upon it and
not faint with terror, was a mystery to herself. But
she had of late been through so many perils, and
seen so much of the terrible and horrible, that unconsciously
to herself her keen senses had become
somewhat dulled, like one who has borne great physical
pain so long as to feel far less acutely than at
first.
Had Methoto been the man he was before he met
with the accident that rendered him more helpless
than a child, and been armed with his trusty rifle,
he would not have feared to encounter the formidable
pack of wild beasts alone; but now he was
-- 433 --
[figure description] Page 433.[end figure description]
terribly frightened, and wanted to get away from
the awful scene.
“Much get in river—you draw—get heap away!”
he said to Isaline.
She understood him to mean that he would like
to get into deeper water and be drawn far down the
stream.
“I am afraid to venture in any further, lest I miss
my footing, get beyond my depth, and drown!” she
replied.
“Me go—you stay land!” he rejoined.
“But I cannot aid you if you get beyond my
reach.”
“Me fix um!” he pursued, producing a thoug of
deer-skin, of some ten or twelve feet in length,
which he carried about with him as an article often
needed in his forest life.
As he could use his hands and arms, he quickly
made an end of this fast to one of the latter, and
gave the other end to Isaline, who was to move
along the beach and keep him from being carried
off by the current while floating along down the
stream in deep water.
Just as this arrangement was completed, and
while the ravenous wolves were snarling and fighting
over the dead body of the horse, which they
had more than half devoured, both Isaline and Methoto
were still more amazed and terrified by a
strange and novel sight.
There was another wild, fearful shriek of the
-- 434 --
[figure description] Page 434.[end figure description]
Phantom, followed by a great commotion among the
wolves, which began to scatter in different directions,
as if they were being assailed by some superior
animal. In another minute not one of the beasts
was to be seen, but in their place a shadowy figure,
like a human being, which glided down toward the
trembling Isaline, carrying in its hands, or claws, or
whatever they were, something that looked like a
formidable club. She would have screamed in her
terror, but she was speechless; she would have fled,
but she had lost the power of motion. As for
Methoto, he lay in the shallow water, perfectly helpless,
looking at the Apparition with open mouth,
dilated nostrils, suspended breath, and glaring eyes.
Both seemed to feel and know it was the dreadful
Unknown of the forest; but neither had the power
to get away from it: they were literally spell-bound.
It glided up to Isaline and stood before her, face
to face, its bright eyes looking directly into hers.
It was only star-light, but she could see enough to
convince her it was the same fearful Creature she
had first beheld in the Indian camp, with its short,
smooth hair completely covering it—face, arms,
hands and body. It stood before her in silence, and
looked right at her for quite a minute, she still conscious
and staring back, but feeling as if she had
suddenly been turned into marble. Then one hand
of this mysterious Thing was placed upon Isaline's
face, and brought slowly down over it, and then up
and down again, over her head, and around her neck
-- 435 --
[figure description] Page 435.[end figure description]
and shoulders, and down about her waist, where it
seemed to fondle and press, and draw her up nearer,
like the arm of affection. Isaline felt her hair rise
and her blood turn to ice; but she could not have
moved or spoken then if her soul's salvation had depended
on it. And yet, as if this were not enough
to kill her with terror, there now came a wonderful
and mysterious transformation. The hairy hands
of this Mysterious Thing were suddenly carried
upward to its own head, which was the next moment
apparently lifted off and put aside; and in its place
was seen a face—a strange, white, human, girlish
face—with two bright eyes still looking straight into
hers, and seemingly charming her like the eyes of
a serpent.
Methoto had seen something of this, but dimly,
and yet enough to excite a feeling of such absolute
terror that he sent forth a wild, despairing shriek.
Instantly the Unknown started back, grasped its
club, whirled it aloft, and turned to him, still retaining
its white, human face in its proper place,
and holding its brown, hairy face and head in its
hand.
“Devil, go leave me?” shireked the terrified Methoto,
in the Indian tongue, and making a desperate
effort to throw himself further back into the river.
The Apparition advanced into the water and bent
down over him.
Methoto yelled, and felt at his belt for a weapon.
He found his knife still there, whipped it out, and,
-- 436 --
[figure description] Page 436.[end figure description]
raising up his body as far as he could, made a thrust
at the object of his dread and fear. Like lightning
the thrust was parried by a downward blow of the
club of the Phantom; and the knife, by a strange
fatality, was driven deep into the bowels of the
wretched man, inflicting a mortal wound.
Methoto sunk back, with a wild groan, the Phantom
uttered a horrible shriek, and poor Isaline
swooned and fell.
When morning once more dawned upon that
tragic scene, it displayed the ghastly sight of a dead
white man upon the beach, clad in skins, half in and
half out of the water, its livid face contorted and upturned,
and its rigid hands clutched in the gravelly
soil, as if the spirit had been wrested from the body
by a convulsive spasm: a bloody knife lay near it,
a rifle further up the beach, and, close under the precipitous
cliff, the mangled and half-eaten body of a
dead horse. Overhead the early vultures were flapping
their filthy wings, screaming forth their discordant
notes, and gathering to the horrid feast,
which they had already scented from afar. The dark,
jagged rocks rose frowningly above the awful scene,
the dark river swept along with its dull ripple and
dismal plash, the breeze seemed to moan as it floated
timidly by, and no motion, nor sound, nor life was
there, save only such as made even death more
horrible.'
Where was the strange Unknown?
Gone!
-- 437 --
[figure description] Page 437.[end figure description]
Where was poor Isaline Holcombe?
Gone!
Had they gone together? Had the one borne
off the other? Would either ever be heard of
more?
Had you asked the rocks, the woods, the waters,
you would have heard only the solemn moan:
“Gone!—Gone!—Gone!”
-- 438 -- p473-443
CHAPTER XXX. HOPE IN DESPAIR.
[figure description] Page 438.[end figure description]
The night that Isaline was carried off by Methoto—
that night in which she was exposed to all the perils
and suffered all the horrors recorded in the previous
chapter—it has been shown that Henry, owing to
a heavy stupor, caused by excessive mental anguish,
slept soundly; the second night, after a hard day's
march, during which he made his escape from the
Indians, it has also been shown he did not sleep at
all; the day that followed, on which he and Tom
went back on the main trail and set off on the other,
proved one of great excitement, perplexity and fatigue;
and it will be remembered we left him, with
the third night closing in, in a state of great mental
disturbance and depression, praying God to support
and aid him.
While Tom had cooked his venison, and eaten it
like a hungry man, laying in a store to supply the
present and some portion of the uncertain future, he
had had great difficulty in persuading Henry to
touch it at all; and it was not in fact till the old
woodman had positively declared that “ef he didn't
fill his holler, like a decent Christian, he'd see him
hanged afore he'd go a step furder with him arter
-- 439 --
[figure description] Page 439.[end figure description]
the gal,” that he had done anything like justice to
his physical requirements.
The night alluded to was not cold—in fact the
weather all along had been unusually warm for the
time of year—but the air, after sunset, was moderately
cool; and as our friends had no blankets now,
and only the little clothing on them which the Indians
had not stripped off, Tom thought they had
better have a fire.
“I don't s'pect that ar' cussed white imp and his
red niggers'll come back on thar own track,” he said,
“and as thar arn't no others about he-yar, we won't
run no risk, I reckons.”
“Do as you think best, Tom!” sighed Henry, casting
himself down and dropping his head upon his
hands, as one buried in heavy thought or gloom.
Tom collected the materials, and soon the forest
around was lit up with the crackling flames.
“Agh!” grunted Tom, rubbing his hands with an
air of satisfaction, as he squatted down before the
cheerful blaze; “this feels good and looks good, and
totes me back to old times, Harry, when me and you
used to do a heap of tramping.”
If Henry heard he did not heed, but still sat with
his face buried in his hands; and after looking at
him for a minute, Tom observed:
“Look-a he-yar, younker—whar's the use o' you
agwine on in a way that'll jest spile you fur to-morrow's
work, hey?”
“I cannot help my thoughts, Tom.”
-- 440 --
[figure description] Page 440.[end figure description]
“Yes you kin. Lay down and go to sleep, and
git up fresh!”
“How can I sleep, Tom, while I am in such uncertainty
about poor Isaline? Even now perhaps
she may be suffering such cruel indignities as would
make my blood run cold to name!”
“And then ag'in she mayn't; and let's sleep on
the mayn't, Harry!”
“I tremble to think of her in the hands of Methoto!
and I tremble more to think of her in the
power of Blodget! Oh, Tom, suppose that latter
fiend has overtaken her—and that, in the quarrel
likely to follow, she has been murdered? or suppose
that the decoy has secured her and gone on after
the others, and shall succeed in getting her out of
the country?”
“And so you mought go on s'posing till you died,
and whar's the use? It don't make nothing no
better, younker—no, sir! Ef you don't lay down
and go to sleep, you'll use yourself up; and then
s'pose you could save her, and hadn't got strength
enough to do it?”
“True! true! your advice is good, Tom; but I
fear I shall not be able to follow it. Oh, if it were
only morning again!”
“Ef you'll only go to sleep, like a decent Christian,
it 'll be morning in about two shakes of a
dorg's tail!” said Tom.
“I will do my best,” sighed Henry, “for I know
the folly of losing my rest as well as you!”
-- 441 --
[figure description] Page 441.[end figure description]
Soon after this conversation, he laid himself down
near the fire, thinking it impossible to lose himself
for even a minute. But fortunately he was mistaken.
Over-wearied nature enforced her law of
restoration, and in ten minutes he was sound asleep,
and did not wake till the hand of Tom shook him
in the gray of morning.
“I told you so, Harry!” said the old scout, with
an air of triumph, as Henry started up, rubbed his
eyes, and looked quickly and wonderingly around
him. “I told you you'd put her through in no
time, and you done it beautiful!”
“Is it indeed morning?”exclaimed Henry.
“It arn't nothing else, lad.”
“Then let us be on the move and make the most
of our time!”
“That's your tork, and I'm with you to the death!”
said the other. “I knowed you'd want to be a
tramping with the fust light, and so I've cooked and
eat my breakfast, and toasted enough of meat besides
to last us all day.”
“God bless you, Tom!” cried Henry.
“Yes, I wants to see that ar' gal cl'ar, purty nigh
as bad as you does, and so I've ben up and fixed
everything fur a start. Ef I looked as ef I tuk it
kind o' easy last night, I didn't; but I knowed thar
warn't no use o' talking and worrying, and so I
made the best on't. Warn't I right?”
“Unquestionably you were, my brave friend! and
-- 442 --
[figure description] Page 442.[end figure description]
I must thank you for my feeling wonderfully refreshed
by a long, sound sleep.”
As soon as it was light enough to see the trail,
they set off at a fast walk, Henry feeling in rather
better spirits, because of his night's rest and the long
day he had before him for active work. They pursued
the trail for several hours, without any incident
worthy of note; when, after ascending a hill which
commanded an extensive view, Henry remarked:
“Tom, does it not strike you that we have been a
long way round, and are now coming back to something
near where we started?”
“It has so'thing of that look, I allow!” replied the
other, glancing at the position of the sun, which was
dimly visible through a thick haze.
“Methoto must have ridden on a venture in the
dark, letting his horse take what course he pleased!”
was the correct conjecture of the young artist.
“That's it to a dot!” coincided Tom.
“I am so fearful that Blodget and his Indians
have overtaken him, wrested Isaline from his
clutches, and gone off on the trail of their friends!
If we could come upon Methoto alone, we should be
two to one; but if the savages have got her in their
power, it will be desperate work to rescue her.”
“Ef so, we'll hev to dorg thar steps, and lay low,
and wait till we kin cotch 'em snoozing!” rejoined
the fearless woodman. “Agh! when I thinks how
we got away from t'other niggers, I feels as ef we kin
do most anything.”
-- 443 --
[figure description] Page 443.[end figure description]
“Oh, God be merciful and send her deliverance!”
prayed Henry.
Some two hours after this, they came to the stream
where, it will be remembered, Methoto broke the
trail by walking his horse down the bed of it for
something like a mile. Here was unexpected
trouble and perplexity. The Indians had been at a
loss, and had crossed over, and gone up and down
the stream on both sides; and there was such a confusion
of steps, going backward and forward, crossing
and recrossing, that more than once the impatient
lover became almost distracted.
“Oh, this is terrible!” he groaned; “to be here
doing absolutely nothing, and the sun fast going
down!”
“Ef we only knowed which way the devil went,
we mought find the eend of this afore the Day of
Judgment!” grumbled Tom; “but as it ar', Harry,
thar's nothing left for it, I s'pect, but to tramp fust
one way and then t'other, up and down, both sides,
till we finds it!”
A trail at the best, unless broad and clear, is a
slow thing to follow, because there are so many
places where the ground, being hard, takes only a
faint impression of the passing steps, even when it
is a horse, and none at all when it is a moccasined
foot; and then the point beyond, where it resumes,
has to be found, sometimes by a slow and careful
process of search through the whole vicinity; but
where it is intentionally broken off in the water, the
-- 444 --
[figure description] Page 444.[end figure description]
case becomes still more difficult, as it is impossible
to tell whether the party pursued went up or down
the stream, and whether they came out on the hither
or thither bank. An hour may be consumed in
searching a space comprised in a few rods only; but
when, as in the instance under notice, the break of
the trail has taken the long reach of a mile, it may
require hours of the most careful and skilful toil to
discover the point of resumption.
Tom and Henry did indeed work for hours, with
the most unremitting diligence, before they could
find where the horse of Methoto had again struck
off through the forest—the search of the party before
them making matters worse instead of better; and
when at last they did find it, Henry saw, with a feeling
of dismay akin to despair, that the sun was only
some two or three hours above the horizon.
“Oh, God!” he groaned; “I fear it is fated I shall
never behold my dear Isaline again!”
“Never say die, lad! for whar's the use?” responded
Tom. “He-yar we is ag'in—all right, you
see!”
“But think of the hours we have lost, Tom! such
precious hours!”
“I knows it; but then thar warn't no help for't,
younker. Jest you wait till I gits hold of that white
devil, and see ef I don't break a trail fur him as he
won't find ag'in in this yere world!”
“Ah, Tom, I am fearful we shall never see him
nor Isaline again!” groaned Henry. “I did have
-- 445 --
[figure description] Page 445.[end figure description]
some little faint hope in the morning; but now that
I see this day drawing to a close, and nothing accomplished—
only at the most a few miles on a trail
that was made in a few hours, after the flight of Methoto,
nearly three days ago—I feel the cold, icy
hand of despair taking hold of me!”
“Whar's the use?” returned Tom. “You arn't
agwine to gin in, I hopes, and squat yourself down
and make a die on't!”
“No, I will go on, and on, till I know the worst,
Tom.”
“Ef it war ary other gal,” said Tom, “you'd hev
her, sartin as shooting, ef it tuk a month to fotch
her; but now you're ready to caterwallup in three
days! This yere comes of gitting in what they
calls love, I s'pect. Agh! wagh! shagh! I'm powerful
glad as I warn't never cotched in no sich—
finiky operation—no, sir! Woofh! whar's the
use?”
They continued to pursue the trail till the heavy
shadows of declining day at times made it quite
difficult to follow. At last they reached the hill, up
which the doomed beast had panted and struggled
at the end of his last journey; and on gaining the
top of it, and looking down over the fearful cliff,
upon the stony beach and the flowing waters of the
Kentucky River, Henry suddenly clutched the arm
of his companion, and, with eyes wildly glaring with
horror, almost shrieked forth the words:
“God of mercy! Look there, Tom! look there!”
-- 446 --
[figure description] Page 446.[end figure description]
Tom turned pale, and every nerve in his strong,
hardy frame quivered.
“Poor feller!” he said, in a voice made husky by
such powerful emotions as he had seldom or never
felt before in his eventful life; and he drew the almost
frantic Henry back from the dizzy verge and
the horrid sight that lay below.
A horrid sight indeed, to a lover seeking her
who was more to him than all the world beside!
The sun, in a crimson glory, was just beginning
to sink behind the western hills; but adown a long,
leafy slope of forest, and through a kind of rocky
gorge, it poured a red, mellow flood of light, that
crossed the river like a stream of blood, and fell,
with a strange and almost startling effect, upon the
white and glistening bones of a horse and man—all
that was now left of the beast and his rider. The
vultures had been there, the wolves had been there,
and nothing of corrupting flesh remained: only the
white and glistening bones scattered here and there,
in strange confusion—the skull of the man and its
massive jaws, with its eyeless sockets and long, white
teeth, seemingly looking up and grinning through a
bath of blood!
What a sight for a lover who believed his mistress
had gone down there literally into the Valley of
Death!
Henry groaned a few times, like one in mortal
agony; and then, disengaging himself from the embrace
of his rough but sympathetic companion, he
-- 447 --
[figure description] Page 447.[end figure description]
sunk down on the ground, clasped his temples with
his two hands, and rocked himself to and fro in a
fearful silence.
“Don't, Harry, poor feller, don't!” pleaded Tom,
who felt that his friend had now arrived at a point
of grief where he could offer no consolation. “Don't,
Harry! don't, poor feller! Whar's the use?”
For some two or three minutes Henry continued
to clasp his temples and rock himself in silence, as
if trying to compress his swelling, throbbing brain,
and keep himself from going mad. Then he burst
out, in a long, agonized moan, that was frightful to
hear. It was a moan that seemed to well up from
the very depths of his innermost soul, quiver through
every nerve and fibre of his mortal being, and at last
find vent in a wail of unutterable woe.
“Harry, my poor feller, don't!” said Tom, sitting
down by his side and fondly placing an arm around
his neck. “Don't, my poor Harry! case it can't do
no good!”
There came only in response another long, agonized
moan, or wail; but this, thank God, was presently
followed by a wild burst of tears!
“Ah, blessed tears! which in some degree
quenched the fire of his brain and saved him from
madness!
Then he suddenly threw his arms around Tom,
laid his aching head against the rough woodman's
manly breast, and fairly sobbed forth:
“Oh, my dear, good friend, it is all over with her!
-- 448 --
[figure description] Page 448.[end figure description]
but we must find her bones and give them Christian
burial. I will kneel over them and pray! and you
must pray with me, Tom!”
“I'll do my best, Harry, I will!” said Tom, brushing
the tears from his eyes; “fur your sake, lad, I'll
do my best—though I'll allow I'll allow I arn't much at them
kind o' things! I can't put a prayer into ary partikerlar
kind of a finiky shape; but I s'pects as how
the Lord 'll make out what I means: ef He don't,
whar's the use?”
“Come, then, Tom!” cried Henry, starting to his
feet; “come! quick! for night will soon be upon us,
and we must collect the remains before it is too dark
to see!”
The sun had by this time passed behind the
western ridge of hills, and the river and the beach
already lay in the first shadow of advancing night.
By going upward a short distance, our two friends
found a place where they could descend the cliff;
and a few minutes later they reached the tragic
scene, and began to move carefully and searchingly
among the white bones—Henry, pale as a ghost,
trembling so that he could scarcely stand.
Tom picked up the skull of Methoto, and, looking
savagely at it for a few moments, muttered, half
aloud:
“So, then, you're the devil as fotched all this yere
trouble on us, hey? Wall, you're dead and gone—
lucky fur you—fur ef I'd a got hold o' you alive,
-- 449 --
[figure description] Page 449.[end figure description]
I'd a made you see snakes! Yes, sir! Wagh!
bagh! whar's the use?”
He threw the skull on the ground, with a look of
angry scorn, and continued his search for the skull
and bones of poor Isaline, expecting to know them
by the size and formation.
“It is strange,” said Henry at length, in a tremulous
tone, stopping and looking almost wildly into
the face of Tom, “it is very strange that I have seen
nothing yet that looks like her bones!”
“Nyther has I!” returned the woodman.
“Tom!” gasped Henry, grasping an arm of his
companion with both hands, and trembling so that
his teeth chattered.
“What is it, my poor boy?” asked Tom.
For nearly a minute Henry tried to speak before
he could articulate another syllable; and then the
words came out slowly and gaspingly:
“Tom—do you—think it possible—she was not—
killed—and has escaped—with life?”
“May be so,” answered the other, “for she arn't
he-yar—nyther body nor bones!”
“Oh, Tom, are you sure?”
“I've seed every bone he-yar, Harry, and I'll sw'ar
thar arn't one of'em hern!”
“God bless you, Tom, for these words! Oh, my
God! my God! dare I hope again? Perhaps she
was wounded, Tom, and Blodget and his Indians have
carried her off alive? Quick, quick, my friend!
look, search, and see if they have been here!”
-- 450 --
[figure description] Page 450.[end figure description]
“In course they has, lad. Didn't we foller the
niggers to the top of the cliff? and don't you s'pect
as how they'd come down he-yar to see whatsomever
they could steal, ef fur nothing else? Whar's
Methoto's rifle, powder-horn, bullet-pouch, knife,
tomahawk, and them? The wolves didn't eat them,
did they? No, sir! Thar's the skins he had on,
all torn up in pieces; but whar's the solid things,
hey?”
“True! true! Oh, gracious Heaven! my brain
seems on fire again! Oh, dare I hope? dare I hope?
You think, Tom, they may have carried her off?”
“Perhaps, Harry!”
“Alive, Tom? alive?”
“I don't s'pect the imps would carry her off
dead.”
“See what it is, Tom, to pray for one thing and
then want another!” cried Henry, almost beside
himself with a strange, wild hope. “How I did pray
that she might not fall into the hands of Blodget
and his Indians; and now I would give half my life
to know her living, even if in their power! Oh, to
find their trail and follow them! And yet, oh, God!
here is another night upon us—a long, long night of
darkness—in which we can do nothing! nothing!
nothing! Oh, wretched, wretched me!”
“Thar arn't nothing for 't, lad, but to wait till
morning ag'in!” rejoined Tom.
“Oh, how can I, how can I, pass another night in
this awful, racking, torturing suspense?”
-- 451 --
[figure description] Page 451.[end figure description]
“It's powerful hard, Harry!” sighed Tom; “but
thar arn't no use of kicking agin what we can't help—
no, sir! We've got to do it; and as I don't keer
to stay amongst these yere bones, we'll jest climb up
the cliff ag'in and start a fire.”
Henry mechanically followed his companion up
to the higher ground, where Tom soon collected the
materials and started another fire; and there they
passed another night—a most wretched night to
Henry, who could not sleep for thinking of poor
Isaline.
His hope now was that she had been carried off
alive by Blodget and his Indians, and that he and his
companion might possibly pursue and overtake them;
but what would he have thought, and how would he
have felt, had he even dreamed that she had been
spirited away by the dread Phantom of the Forest?
-- 452 -- p473-457
CHAPTER XXXI. STERN RETRIBUTION.
[figure description] Page 452.[end figure description]
As soon as it was light on the following morning,
Henry, who had passed a wretched night, began his
search for the trail of the Indians, assisted by Tom.
It was seen they had indeed been down on the beach,
for here and there the print of a moccasin was discovered
in the yielding soil; and it was not an unreasonable
conjecture, which both were led to make,
that Methoto had been wounded by his fall and subsequently
killed by the savages, and that Isaline
had in truth been borne off alive.
“Now then to find their trail and pursue it till I
either discover and save her or leave my bones
bleaching like those of Methoto!” said Henry, with
stern determination.
“We've got to fill our hollers afore we goes fur,”
said Tom, “fur I feels jest as ef I war agwine to cave
in.”
“Always thinking of eating!” returned Henry.
“Why that's the only thing as keeps me alive!”
said Tom, with the serious air of a savant explaining
some new discovery in science: “ef it warn't fur
eating, I wouldn't live a month—no, sir!”
“Well, you had some meat cooked yesterday
-- 453 --
[figure description] Page 453.[end figure description]
morning—will not that do you for the present?”
said Henry, with an anxious, impatient look. “As
for myself, I care for nothing, except to follow on
after poor Isaline, and every moment's delay seems
an age to me!”
“Meat cooked yesterday morning?” repeated Tom,
with a look of startled amazement; “why, what's
the feller a thinking on?—he's lost his senses sartin!—
as ef meat cooked yesterday morning, 'cept it war
a hull ox, could last till now! and me on the tramp
at that! Wagh! shagh! whar's the use?”
Tom agreed, however, that he would make as little
delay as possible, by hunting for something on the
way, and so they both immediately set about searching
out the trail. It was difficult to find, and cost
them the labor of an hour; and when found it was
difficult to follow, because it was some three days old,
and the light, moccasined foot of the Indians had left
no such easily discerned traces as the hoof of the
running horse. The general direction, though, was
something of a guide, because it was supposed the
savages would aim to overtake their companions,
and they had certainly taken the proper course for
that purpose. By keeping steadily forward, therefore,
over places where no impression could be seen,
our friends were always fortunate enough to find
more traces on beyond, and thus lost but little time.
One thing now troubled Henry not a little, even
beyond all his other troubles, and that was that no
discovery had as yet been made which proved that
-- 454 --
[figure description] Page 454.[end figure description]
Isaline was among the savages. Both he and Tom
had made a close and careful scrutiny of the trail
where it had been found the clearest, and yet had
failed to discern any sign or trace of the missing
girl.
“Oh, Heaven! should this hope prove a delusion,
and she not be among the savages after all!” groaned
Henry. “Tell me, Tom—tell me truly—what do
you think?”
“I don't know, younker—I can't sw'ar to nothing!”
answered Tom. “Prehaps her purty little foot
didn't come down hard enough to leave any mark—
jest like them varmints, called fairies, as I've
hearn about—and then ag in she mought be some'at
hurt, or sich like, and they be toting her on cross-poles.”
“But if such were the case, Tom, we should certainly
have found some indication of it before this—
some place where they had collected the materials
and constructed the litter—and some place where
they had taken it up and set it down. No! no! if she
is among them at all, she is not carried, Tom; and
my only hope now is, that her light foot has passed
without leaving any mark where we have searched.”
“Wall, all we kin do ar' to push on and try the
ventur!” returned Tom.
They did push on, as fast as they possibly could,
Tom keeping an eye ready for any game they might
discover. Before noon he was again fortunate
enough to kill a deer; and having eaten of this to
-- 455 --
[figure description] Page 455.[end figure description]
satiety, and persuaded Henry to do the same, he did
as before, cooked up a few pounds to take with
them.
The trail of Blodget and the Indians did not lead
to the camp where they had parted from their companions,
but rather diagonally across the country—
they doubtless calculating on striking the trail of the
main body further on, which they did. At the
point where the smaller trail joined the larger, Tom
remarked:
“Now we hev cl'ar work, Harry, and we kin go
as fast as we like.”
“Ah! but, Tom, if Blodget's party succeed in
joining the main body,” sighed Henry, “what chance
have we two against so many?”
“Not much, I'll allow; but ef we kin cotch up
with 'em afore they crosses the Ohio, we kin scout
round and make sure ef the colonel's darter ar'
amongst 'em; and ef she ar,' we'll know better what
to do nor we does now.”
“Let us hurry on then,” rejoined Henry, “and
know the worst as soon as possible. Ah! what a
long start they have of us! If we could only have
known, when we passed over this ground before, all
that we know now, how much time we might have
saved!”
“And had our hosses too, Harry! Agh! I hates
to lose them critters, and I've half a notion to go
back fur 'em!”
“No, no, Tom—we must not risk that delay!”
-- 456 --
[figure description] Page 456.[end figure description]
“Couldn't we make it up in riding faster nor we
kin walk, younker?”
“But we might not find them; and only think
how much important time would then be lost! No,
no, Tom—the matter is not to be thought of for a
moment!”
“Jest as you say.”
“By-the-way, Tom,” observed Henry, “a new
idea occurs to me. When I consider time and
everything, I do believe Blodget and his crew struck
this trail the very day we passed over it! If so,
how fortunate for us that we had passed this point
before they reached it! for they might have discovered
us first and ambuscaded us.”
“Woofh!” grunted Tom, with a shrug of his
shoulders.
The trail now being broad and clear, our two
friends pushed on rapidly till near night; when,
having ascended a small hill, some distance short of
the camp where they had made their escape from
the Indians, Tom suddenly stopped, grasped an arm
of his companion, and made a gesture for him to
keep silent.
“What is it?” whispered Henry, after listening
intently for a few moments and hearing nothing.
“D'yer see that thar t'other hill, right over thar?”
pointing a little to the right.
“Yes! well?”
“Don't you hear nothing?”
“No!”
-- 457 --
[figure description] Page 457.[end figure description]
“I does. Thar's a party coming up on t'other
side; but I can't jest make out whether they're
whites or Injuns!”
“Oh, Heaven! if it should prove to be our
friends, who struck across the country here under
Billings!” said Henry.
“That's what I hopes. Hark! you hears that,
don't ye?”
“Yes, it was a human voice, but too far off to be
distinct. And yet I somehow feel as if it were the
voice of a white man!”
“Let's creep into the bushes he-yar, Harry, and
lay low. Ef it's Injuns, we've got to do some dodging;
and ef it's whites, thar'll be time enough to
yell when we sees 'em.”
They stole off to a thicket, about a hundred
yards from the trail, and there concealed themselves,
and waited with breathless anxiety for the appearance
of the party, which was evidently ascending
the other hill from the opposite side.
In less than ten minutes they appeared upon the
summit—horses and men—white men—borderers—
the division which, some days before, had struck off
across the country, at the time that Tom and Henry,
with their ill-fated companions, had pursued the
direct trail. It was a sight only to be appreciated
by men in the condition of our hero and his friend.
It was the welcome sail at sea to a couple of poor
mariners drifting helplessly in an open boat. Henry
burst into tears; and Tom sent forth a dozen yells,
-- 458 --
[figure description] Page 458.[end figure description]
intended for the wildest delight, but which actually
startled the approaching party into the belief that they
were about to be assailed by a band of savages.
“Foller me!” cried Tom, bounding away down
the hill like a madman—whooping, shouting, yelling,
jumping, and swinging his arms and kicking
out his legs in the wildest manner possible.
Henry ran too, but he could not keep up with his
rough companion. By the time he reached the
party, Tom had shaken hands with more than half
of the men present, and was still whooping and
shouting in the midst of them.
They had recaptured the horses stolen from the
whites by the savages, some of the men were
wounded, and many had fresh Indian scalps attached
to their girdles. All this Henry saw, with a wild
glance, as he came panting up, and his heart beat
strangely. They had evidently met and conquered
the Indians, and what of Isaline? A dozen men
sprung forward to greet our hero; but his first
words, uttered gaspingly, were:
“The lady? the lady? Miss Isaline Holcombe?
is she with you? have you saved her?”
Alas! no one had seen her.
Henry felt his heart sink and brain swim. What
was all the rest of the world to him? He threw
his eyes rapidly over the whole group, and saw that
all had dismounted except one man, whose back was
toward him. He fancied he recognized the figure,
and hurried round to where he could get a better
-- 459 --
[figure description] Page 459.[end figure description]
view. He was not mistaken. He beheld the pale
face and compressed lips of Charles Hampton.
“What does that villain among you here and at
liberty?” he shouted. “That is the wretch that
brought all our trouble upon us!”
He had scarcely spoken, when Hampton struck
his horse a violent blow and dashed swiftly down
the hill.
“What's that, Harry?” cried Tom, whose attention
was now directed to the treacherous villain by the
words and actions of his friend.
“It is Hampton, Tom—there he goes—escaping
the punishment that belongs to him!”
Quick as thought Tom raised his piece to his eye
and fired. Hampton reeled and fell, and the riderless
horse went plunging on.
“I knowed my time ud come!” said Tom, coolly;
“and this he-yar's a better shooting iron nor I gin
the old ripscallion red niggers credit fur!”
This unexpected and tragic scene created great
excitement among the borderers, who, in their previous
encounter with the savages, had found Hampton
a prisoner, and had rescued and treated him as
an honorable gentleman, supposing him to be one,
they knowing nothing of his previous deeds, and
readily believing the false tale he had told them.
Some half-a-dozen of the party now ran down to
him, and found him badly wounded—Tom's ball
having entered under the right shoulder-blade and
passed through the right lung. He breathed with
-- 460 --
[figure description] Page 460.[end figure description]
difficulty and coughed up blood. He was still conscious,
but could not live. They brought him up
to the top of the hill, and he fairly gnashed his teeth
at the sight of Henry and Tom.
“It was not me you should have murdered, you
cowards, but Blodget!” he muttered, chokingly.
“And whar mought that devil be found?” asked
Tom.
Hampton groaned, and pointed with his finger.
Both Tom and Henry looked in the direction indicated;
and there, not fifty feet distant, they beheld,
what they had not before observed, the pale face
and cowering form of Blodget, who was standing
between two men, with his arms bound behind his
back, in the manner he had compelled the prisoners
to march with the savages.
Tom uttered a fierce yell of savage delight and
sprung toward him; but, quick though he was,
Henry was before him.
“Stand off!” he said; “not a word till I shall have
done questioning him!” And then to Blodget, who
was now shaking all over, like a man with the ague:
“Villain,” he cried, “if you want to live long
enough to say your prayers, quick! tell me! where
is the girl you went in pursuit of?”
“Oh, sir—oh, good gentlemen—don't hurt me!
don't! for I didn't have anything to do with it—it
was an accident, I suppose!” cried the poor, miserable
coward, in the most abject, servile tone, which
wonderfully contrasted with his language and
-- 461 --
[figure description] Page 461.[end figure description]
manner at the time he parted from the prisoners at the
Indian camp.
“Speak out!” gasped Henry, catching hold of Tom
for support, and preparing himself to hear the worst.
“The girl was killed!” said Blodget.
“Oh, my God! my God!” groaned Henry, with a
reeling brain.
“How does you know that, you imp of the devil?”
demanded Tom. “Did you see her dead?”
“No, I didn't see her dead,” replied Blodget, “but
Methoto and his horse went over a precipice, and
we found their bones there, and I suppose she was
killed too, though we couldn't find her.”
“Ef you lies about this yere, I'll hev you strung
up to the fust tree, you infarnal whelp!” cried Tom.
“I don't lie—I'm telling you the honest truth!”
returned Blodget. “We hunted all round, and
couldn't find anything of her, either living or dead.”
“Thar, Harry, lad, don't take on so!” said Tom,
kindly; “the colonel's darter arn't dead, you see,
arter all—no, sir! She's got away alive somehow
and she'll turn up all right yit!”
“Oh, Tom, if I were only certain of that!”
groaned Henry; “but I have little or no hope now,
my friend! I did think it possible she might have
been carried off by this villain; but now all is dark
mystery! Oh, that I could have died in her place!
poor, sweet, loved and lost Isaline!”
The adventures of this party of borderers, as told
to Tom by one of the number, may be summed up
-- 462 --
[figure description] Page 462.[end figure description]
briefly. They had been roaming through the wilderness,
without anything occurring of any importance,
till they had stumbled upon the trail of the
main body of savages, which they had pursued
rapidly, coming up with the Indians, or rather in
sight of them, one day about sunset. Not having
been discovered themselves, they had made their
arrangements for a night attack, which had proved
successful. Nearly all the Indians had been killed,
and their horses and plunder had fallen into their
hands. Finding Hampton a prisoner, they had
readily believed his trumped-up story of his misfortunes,
and had never once dreamed of his being
the treacherous villain whose wicked plans and
counsels had brought so much trouble upon the
country. He had told them how Blodget and his
party had gone in pursuit of Isaline, and they had
come back on the main trail in the hope of being
able to find and destroy them. They had been successful
in this also. They had seen the Indians first
and ambuscaded them, and Blodget was the only one
of his party now alive, and he had been reserved
for hanging whenever it should suit their pleasure
to give him a forest trial. Having accomplished
their purpose, they were now leisurely returning
homeward—hoping, by keeping on the Indian trail,
to fall in with some of their former companions.
When Tom in turn related what had befallen
himself and party, great was the excitement and indignation
of the borderers; and what he stated
-- 463 --
[figure description] Page 463.[end figure description]
concerning Hampton, fully justified him in their eyes
for having shot him like a dog rather than let him
escape. Some were for hanging Hampton now at
once; but others said he would die soon enough if
let alone; which indeed proved to be the case; for,
in less than two hours after this conversation, his
black heart and scheming brain were still in death.
The borderers would not bury him, but left his
body to the wolves and vultures.
That night, while assembled around their camp-fires,
they put Blodget on trial for his life. The
affair was conducted with some show of form and
justice. Twelve men were selected to act as a jury,
and they were to hear the evidence and decide. Tom
and Henry were required to give in their testimony,
and no other witnesses were needed. The jury took
only a couple of minutes for consideration, and the
verdict was:
“Guilty!”
Then twelve men were drawn by lot, to declare
what death he should die, and when, and they were
to be his executioners. For the first, they decided
he should die by hanging; and for the second, that
it should be before resuming their march on the
morrow.
“Between these two points we'll let the prisoner
fix the time for himself!” they said.
Blodget was nearly dead already with fear—for a
more abject, miserable craven never drew the breath
of life. When they brought him forward to put the
-- 464 --
[figure description] Page 464.[end figure description]
question, his face had a ghastly hue, he trembled
and shook till his teeth rattled, and large beads of
perspiration stood out all over his face.
“You're a heartless, cruel murderer,” said one of
the twelve, addressing the miserable wretch, “and
we ought to string you up at once; but we've decided
to let you name any time atween this and
sunrise that 'll best suit you to stretch the rope.”
Oh, gentlemen—good gentlemen—for God's sake,
don't hang me!” cried Blodget, dropping down on
his knees.
“How about us dancing at your wedding?”
asked Tom, who chanced to be one of the twelve
drawn.
“Oh, that was only a joke—that's all!”
“Purty joke, warn't it, you pusillanimous whelp?”
growled Tom. “And them sculps you slapped in
my face—them was a joke too, warn't they?”
“Oh, yes—I didn't mean any harm—and you
know I treated you well afterward!”
“Oh, yes—I feels proud on't! Wall, you see,
we's jest agwine to hang you in joke now—that's
all.”
“But it will kill me, won't it?” asked Blodget,
with trembling anxiety.
“Wall, it does sometimes kill folks of your size!”
gravely answered Tom.
“Oh, spare me! spare me! good gentlement!”
“You're worse than a sneaking wolf!” said one
-- 465 --
[figure description] Page 465.[end figure description]
of the others; “for that cowardly beast will die
game when he's cornered and can't get away!”
“Come,” said another, “name your time!—any
hour you likes atween this and sunrise.”
“Oh, gentlemen—oh, good, kind gentlemen—oh,
for God's sake, don't hang me! I'm not ready to
die yet!” pleaded the craven wretch, in the most
piteous tones he could command.
“If we wait for you to get ready, we'll all die of
old age!” said a stern voice.
“Name your time, and be quick about it,” said
another, “or we'll fix it for you!”
“Oh, gentlemen, do forgive me! won't you? I'm
not ready to die—I'm afraid to die—indeed, indeed
I am!” whined the miserable coward.
“You warn't afeard to kill my companions, as
good fellers as ever lived, and then slap thar bloody
sculps in my face, you _____ cantankerous, ripscallion,
slinking hoss-thief!” cried Tom. “Agh! wagh!
shagh! whar's the use?”
“We're wasting too much time here,” said one of
the men, “and I reckon we'd best string him up to
onct and make an end on't!”
“Oh, no, not to-night, for God's sake! good, kind,
dear gentlemen—not to-night!” pleaded Blodget.
“Shall it be at sunrise to-morrow?” asked another.
“At sunrise to-morrow!” cried several voices,
without waiting for Blodget to answer; “let it be
settled so!”
-- 466 --
[figure description] Page 466.[end figure description]
And so it was settled.
They bound the guilty villain to a tree; but he
made so much disturbance in the camp—by crying,
complaining, cursing, begging, pleading and screaming—
that the borderers finally resorted to gagging,
to keep him quiet.
At daylight the camp was astir, and the jury of
executioners prepared to do their fatal work. They
selected a small sapling, bent down the top, and secured
it by a rope. To this top they fastened another
rope, with a slip-knot at the lower end. Then
they dragged up Blodget, more dead than alive, with
his hands bound behind his back and the gag still
in his mouth, and passed the noose over his head,
and fixed the knot under one ear—he struggling,
moaning and shaking all over. As soon as all was
ready, they formed a ring around him. Then, at a
signal, the first rope was cut, and the spring of the
tree carried the wretched villain up several feet from
the ground, and there held him suspended by the
neck. He struggled violently for several minutes,
and then gradually grew still in death.
At last the damnable villain had met the punishment
he deserved.
When, shortly after, the borderers resumed their
homeward march, they left the body suspended in
the air, for the carrion birds to feed on.
Sad, silent, drooping, like one who no longer had
any object or aim in life, Henry marched on with
the rest, till they came nearly opposite the place,
-- 467 --
[figure description] Page 467.[end figure description]
though still some miles distant, where Methoto had
met his death, when he quietly announced to the
party that there he should leave them, as he was
going another way. They all knew his sorrow and
respected it, and several rough but kindly voices
inquired if there was anything they could do for
him.
“No!” sighed Henry; “I thank you—no!”
No one seemed to feel he had a right to question
him except Rough Tom; and he, with a look of surprise
and anxiety, drew Henry aside and said:
“What is it, Harry? what's the meaning of all
this he-yar? whar you agwine to now?”
“Never mind, Tom!” said Henry, proffering his
hand; “never mind, my brave friend! but let me
say farewell for the present; and do you go on with
the rest and leave me!”
“I'll be conscrimptiously ramboozled ef I does!”
cried Tom, emphatically. “No, sir! you arn't
agwine to come nary sich like dodge over this yere
old coon, ef I knows myself—no, sir! Ef you is
agwine to put out fur new diggins, I'm agwine with
you, and that's a settled p'int! Whew! Whar's
the use?”
“No, no, Tom—go on with the rest, and leave me
to myself! I am a miserable, unhappy man, and no
longer fit company for you or any one else! All
hope and joy in this world are gone, with my poor,
sweet Isaline! and when it shall please God to take
me, I shall be ready to go too!”
-- 468 --
[figure description] Page 468.[end figure description]
“Now, Harry, poor feller, don't say that!” returned
Tom, his eyes filling with tears; “don't say
that, lad—don't! So'thing 'll turn up yit. The
gal haint been seed dead; and it's like she got away,
and will come out all right in the eend!”
“Tom,” rejoined Henry, with melaneholy solemnity,
“I know you mean well; but why seek to
inspire me with a hope in which you do not believe
yourself? Could Isaline fall over that awful precipice
and not be wounded, even if not fatally?
Answer me that?”
“But may be she didn't fall over it, Harry!”
“Do you suppose, for one moment, she could have
got away from the strong arms of Methoto?”
Tom looked sadly down, but did not answer.
“Oh, my friend, you know in your own heart she
could not have got away from Methoto—that she did
go over that precipice—and that, if she was not
killed at once, she was so badly wounded as not to
be able to escape, and was probably destroyed by
the same ravenous wolves that devoured her brutal
captor and his beast!” said Henry, with choking
emotions. “Oh, God! oh, God! what a death for
the sweet being I so wildly, devotedly, madly loved!”
“But you know, Harry, we couldn't find her
bones—nor the Injuns nyther couldn't!”
“That is Blodget's story, I know; but he may not
have told us the truth. And even granting that she
was only so bruised and mangled that she could
crawl away, how could she, a poor, unprotected
-- 469 --
[figure description] Page 469.[end figure description]
maiden, live in the wilderness? Perhaps, in her
fear of the wolves, to save herself from being
devoured alive, she crawled out into the river and
was drowned!”
“You will hev her dead, I sees!”
“I would give my life to have her living!”
groaned Henry.
“But whar you agwine, anyhow?”
“I am going back there, Tom—back there, to
that fatal spot—for there is no other in this world
that has any attraction for me now!” groaned the
almost heart-broken lover.
“And what you agwine to do when you gits thar,
poor lad?”
“I do not know—die perhaps! If Heaven will
only guide me to her remains, I will gladly lie down
by them and pray for death.”
“Shagh! whar's the use?” said Tom. “She war
a purty, sweet kind o' gal, I'll allow; but thar's
others in the world jest as sweet and purty, Harry!”
Henry groaned and shook his head.
“No other for me, Tom—no other for me!”
“You've got friends in Varginee, Harry, and
s'pose you thinks of them!”
“It is useless for you to talk to me,” sighed Henry,
“for the die is cast, my hopes are dead, my heart is
with the remains of my sweet beloved—I cannot say
in the grave with them—for, alas and alas, they have
not had burial! Tom,” he continued, grasping the
rough woodman's hard, horny hand, and speaking
-- 470 --
[figure description] Page 470.[end figure description]
in a tremulous voice, half choked with emotion,
“you have been a true and faithful friend to me,
God bless you! and while I live I shall never forget
you; but the time has come for us to part. I am no
longer what I was, and I shall never be the same
man again. If you were to go with me, I should
only weary you with my grief, and perhaps make
you as wretched as my poor, miserable self. Therefore,
my brave fellow, go on with the rest, and leave
me to my fate!”
“I'll be — ef I does!” almost blubbered the
true old woodman; “and I'd lick ary other slinking
hound what axed me to do it—yes, sir! Woofh!
thunderation! whar's the use? Harry, wharsomever
you goes, I goes, like your shadder; and I'll stick to
you like a tick to a dorg's back! You arn't agwine
to git away from me, nohow—no, sir; and the more
you tries it on, the wuss you'll make out; so you
mought as wall guv up that thar p'int as waste your
breath on't! Ef one fri'nd ar' agwine to desart another
fri'nd, case t'other fri'nd ar' down in the mouth,
and don't feel like laughing and hollering and dancing
hoe-cake jigs, whar's the use o' being a white
gintleman at all?—he mought as wall be a red-nigger
to onct, and grease his face and shave his sculp!
Thar, younker, I've said my say out; and now come
on, and we'll go and hunt for the gal together!”
Henry made no further objections to accepting
the company of Tom—for he knew from experience
how useless it would be to argue against a point that
-- 471 --
[figure description] Page 471.[end figure description]
his resolute, determined, stubborn companion had
fully settled upon—and so both took leave of their
companions, and struck off together for the Kentucky
River, and the scene of that fearful disaster
which had filled the soul of the lover with such
crushing grief.
It should be mentioned here, that both were now
suitably clothed again, and provided with comfortable
blankets, which had been selected from the
stock of plunder taken from the Indians; and both
had also got back their own rifles, with plenty of
ammunition; so that they were now well prepared
for a long stay in the wilderness.
A little before night they reached the Kentucky
River, and the fatal spot where the bones of Methoto
and his horse still lay bleaching; and both went
down to the beach and made another careful search
for some trace of the lost Isaline; but, alas! with
no better success than before. She was gone!
she was gone! and every sound that reached the almost
heart-broken lover, seemed to sigh, or moan, in
his ear:
“She is gone! she is gone!”
-- 472 -- p473-477
CHAPTER XXXII. THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
[figure description] Page 472.[end figure description]
He who stands upon the mountain top, commands
a view a thousand times greater than he who plods
along in the valley; and we, who are far above the
actors playing their parts in our drama of life, have
the power of looking over and beyond their limited
vision and seeing the whole as they see a portion.
While, therefore, the despairing lover is groaning
along in the deep Valley of Gloom—groping forward
even blindly—unconscious whither his steps
are tending—we rejoice to see he is steadily advancing
toward the goal he would willingly give his life
to reach.
Isaline Holcombe had indeed been borne away
by the Phantom of the Forest—carried off in a state
of utter unconsciousness—and since then many days
and nights had passed, through which she had lived
as in a wild and troubled dream—a dream in which
she had appeared to be revolving in darkness, and
now and then being thrown up from some abyss to
a strange, fantastic glimmer of light, only to be suddenly
hurled back again to a seemingly deeper depth
of gloom and night.
The long series of fatigues, excitements, anxieties,
-- 473 --
[figure description] Page 473.[end figure description]
sufferings, perils and terrors to which she had been
subjected—the long, fearful strain upon her delicate
nerves and fine mental faculties—had at last proved
too much for an organism as sweetly attuned as the
æolian harp; and when she had finally, overpowered
with horror, sunk swooning at the feet of the dread
Unknown of the Forest, there was then no longer
sufficient vitality to restore the mental powers to
their natural state, and fever and delirium had followed.
Long days and nights and passed since then,
of which she had no consciousness, except the wild,
fever-dream.
And where was she all this time?
In a cave, among the rocks of the cliff over which
she had fallen, and scarcely more than a hundred
yards from the fatal spot where Methoto's bones still
lay bleaching.
Oh! if Henry had but known, while groaning
forth his despair, that she was living and within the
reach of his voice!
And how came she to be there in the cave?
She had been borne thither by the Phantom of the
Forest.
And who had been with her since?
The Phantom of the Forest.
And what was this dread Phantom of the Forest?
Ah! now we come to the unraveling of the mystery!
When the wasting fever had spent its force, and
consciousness had once more returned to Isaline,
-- 474 --
[figure description] Page 474.[end figure description]
she found herself, weak and emaciated, lying upon
a bed of leaves and grass, in some dim, gloomy
place, surrounded by rocks. She was barely able
to lift her head, and she looked up and around in
wonder and fear. No living thing was apparently
near her.
“Where am I?” she murmured; “and how came
I here?”
Almost as she spoke the words, and as if in response
to her question, the narrow passage-way,
leading outward to the world of light, was darkened
by some moving object, and immediately after the
strange and startling figure of the Phantom of the
Forest stood before her.
The sight of this Apparition recalled the memory
of Isaline so suddenly and clearly, that the wonder
is, under the circumstances, it did not prove fatal.
She instantly remembered how and where she had
looked upon this dread Mystery before, and for a
few moments her breath ceased, her heart appeared
to stand still, and her eyes glared. She felt she
was in the power of this fearful Something, and was
far from certain to which world she now belonged.
Then came the thought, like a light from Heaven:
“What is life to me now that I should fear? or
death that I should cower before the demons of God's
creation? One Great Being made all that live, and
His power is over all!”
Then summoning all her will and strength and
nerve, she raised her head, and fixing her eyes upon
-- 475 --
[figure description] Page 475.[end figure description]
the eyes of the strange Object, that had now advanced
to her side, she said, with deep solemnity:
“In the name of God, what are you?”
For a few moments the fearful Object stood
passively and silently by her side; and then, what
proved to be a hairy mask (but which, in the gloom
of night, when seen before, appeared to be another
head) was quietly lifted off and put aside, and a
bright, girlish face bent over her, and a soft, melodious
voice said, gently:
“Sweet sister, have you come back to me?”
“Merciful God!” gasped Isaline; “what does all
this mystery mean?”
“For they murdered you, sweet sister,” pursued
the strange being, “and I have been sorrowing so
long!”
“Who are you, poor girl?” queried Isaline, beginning
to comprehend something of the truth.
“I have had such a long, horrid dream, sweet
sister!” continued the strange Creature, without
heeding the question; “and I am so glad you have
come back to wake me! You have been in the
land of spirits, I know, for I have seen you so often
there; they murdered and sent you there; but you
have come back to me now, and woke me from my
horrid, horrid dream, and now we will part no more.
Our dear mamma—is she well? I do not often see
her. She did not come with you, I think?”
“Poor girl! God help her! she has lost her
reason!” murmured Isaline. “And this, after all, is
-- 476 --
[figure description] Page 476.[end figure description]
the fearful Phantom of the Forest, that has frightened
so many brave but superstitious men!”
“We will not part again, sweet sister, will we?”
said the poor lunatic, with a fond look.
“No, you shall go with me, poor girl, when I go
away from here!” answered Isaline, in a gentle tone,
resolved to humor the other's fancy, whatever it
might be. “What is your name?”
“Don't you know?”
“I cannot speak it at this moment; you know we
have been long away from each other!”
“Oh, yes—so long! so long!” sighed the other
“But you have not told me your name!”
“Helen. And you are my sweet sister Ellen, you
know!”
“Oh, yes—I understand you now, Helen!” said
Isaline. “But tell me where I am now? and how I
came here?”
“I brought you here—I was afraid I should lose
you.”
“Where did you find me?”
“Among the wolves, I think. You came down
among the wolves, didn't you, sweet sister?”
“Oh, yes, I remember—the horrid wolves were all
around me.”
“Why did you stay with such beasts?” asked
Helen.
“I was trying to get away from them!” answered
Isaline.
“Yes, I came and drove them away.”
-- 477 --
[figure description] Page 477.[end figure description]
“How far are we now from the place where you
found me?”
Helen did not seem to comprehend this question,
and Isaline repeated it. She received no answer,
however. The poor lunatic stared vacantly, for a
minute or so, and then asked abruptly:
“What creature was that with you in the water?”
“That was a man who had been carrying me off.
What became of him?”
“I think he rode away on a whirlwind!” said
Helen. “But why have you not talked to me before
as you do now, sweet sister?”
“Have I not?”
“And you would not eat anything! Do you never
eat where you have been, sweet sister? I brought
you meat and corn and berries, but you would not
eat.”
“I have been ill, I suppose,” said Isaline, “and I
feel very weak and faint now. Where am I?”
“But you drank—oh, you were so thirsty! and I
brought you water, water, water, in that little cup,
made of leaves. There it is by your side—I made it.
And you wouldn't get up after I put you down, and
so I made you that nice bed. Isn't it a nice bed,
sweet sister? And there you have been so long—
so long—so many days and nights!”
“Days and nights?” repeated Isaline, wonderingly.
She was disposed to doubt the correctness of this
statement, thinking it might be, like much of the
rest which the poor girl said, an insane fancy; but
-- 478 --
[figure description] Page 478.[end figure description]
when she cast her eyes on her thin, wasted hands and
arms, she feared it might be true. Where was she?
and how would she ever get away? She could not
long live there, she was too weak to stand, and the
little exertion she had already made in speaking had
quite exhausted her. She thought of Henry, who
had been carried off to meet a cruel doom, and a
keen pang pierced her heart.
“Oh, God,” she groaned, “have mercy on me and
take me to Thyself!”
Soon after this she felt a heavy drowsiness stealing
over her, and, yielding to it, she fell into a gentle
sleep.
Fortunately the returning light of reason was beginning
to dawn upon the long darkened mind of
the poor maniac, and she was now beginning to
comprehend something, but could not pursue a consecutive
train of thought. Since the dreadful event
which had driven her forth, a wild and unconscious
wanderer through the wilderness, she had never
spoken a rational word to any human being till she
had met Isaline; but had roamed up and down the
wild forest, sometimes in the day and sometimes in
the night, with just enough of instinct to clothe herself
in skins and provide herself with food, ever and
anon shrieking out her terrible woe. Her history,
what is known of it, may be briefly told.
About three years before the date of our story, a
gentleman, named Mervine—who had once been
blessed with a competence, but, through a series of
-- 479 --
[figure description] Page 479.[end figure description]
misfortunes, had become reduced to comparative
poverty—removed his family to the wilds of Kentucky,
and there sought to make a new home. The
struggle was a short one. He fell sick and died,
leaving a widow and two twin daughters, Helen and
Ellen, and a blind negro boy (who had been brought
up in the family and taken along with them as an
act of charity) to mourn his loss. In less than a
year after the death of the husband and father, three
Indians and a white man one night attacked the
widow's dwelling, burst in the door, and murdered
all except Helen, who, escaping through a back
window, fled shrieking to the forest. These savages
were the Indian father and brothers of Methoto, and
he was the white man alluded to; and it will be remembered
he gave an account of this very tragedy,
in reply to the questions of Henry, on the night that
he and Isaline lodged under his roof on the bank
of the Licking. And what may seem strange and
curious, as showing the mysterious workings of
Providence, Methoto owed his death to the very
girl whose mother and sister he had helped to
murder; for it was her wild shriek that had so
startled him and his beast and led to the fall over
the cliff; and subsequently, by parrying the thrust
he made at her with his knife, that weapon had, it
may be said by her hand, been driven into his
bowels, inflicting a mortal wound. Thus had fearful
retribution come upon him from the right source of
justice.
-- 480 --
[figure description] Page 480.[end figure description]
How poor Helen had lived in the forest for so
long a period, through summer's heat and winter's
cold, clothing and feeding and protecting herself
from wild beasts, must in the main be left to conjecture.
It is known that, shortly after the tragedy
which turned her poor brain, she had so frightened
a couple of hunters that they had fled, leaving a
pack of skins behind them, and it is supposed she
had carried these off and used them afterward as
she required in her own singular way. With the
sinews of deer she had fastened these skins so
closely around her body and limbs and hands that,
with a mask of the same over her head and face,
her appearance, when seen in a dim, uncertain light,
as Isaline had beheld her, was rather that of some
hideous animal than a human being; and when
merely glanced at by the superstitious borderers,
their excited fancies had changed her into an apparition
of terrible form. It is supposed that a sort
of glimmering of reason, or instinct, such as most
maniacs possess, had led her to protect herself from
the wild beasts of the forest by lodging in the
branches of trees; and thus it had happened, on
several occasions, that her shriek had sounded high
in air, and she had suddenly appeared in a manner
calculated to increase the fears of the superstitious,
who had readily accorded her the form and power
of something from the world of spirits. And this
was the whole of the mystery, which appears simple
-- 481 --
[figure description] Page 481.[end figure description]
enough when explained by natural causes, as all
mysteries generally do.
For that matter everything is a mystery, from the
mighty worlds that swing and roll in space, down
to the animated creatures that exist beyond the
reach of human vision, though a familiarity with
the manifestations of God's thought leads us to
regard them with indifference. We cannot explain
anything, not even the simplest, except by attributing
it to the result of the harmonious working of
the law of the Great First Cause, which is itself a
still greater Mystery. We know not why we are
here ourselves—a wonderful, thinking and acting
manifestation—how we came here—how we take
on life or lose it! The most we can know is, that
certain effects result from certain causes; and all
the learning and wisdom of man give him not even
the faintest glimmer of conception of cause. Two
simple little words, It Is, sum up the whole knowledge
of mankind in this respect; and the clown
and the savant alike stand confessed in ignorance
before the great, dark vail which shuts in the
wonderful Mysteries of Jehovah.
Helen Mervine had a pretty face and figure, and
so much resembled Isaline that they might have
been taken for sisters; and this perhaps was the
reason why the poor lunatic believed her to be her
sister; and as the murdered girl, being a twin, had
probably resembled the living one very closely, and
as Methoto had been so attracted to the one he saw
-- 482 --
[figure description] Page 482.[end figure description]
dead as to renounce his Indian life, it may be this
resemblance had had something to do with the wild,
rude passion he had felt for Isaline. Helen naturally
had a sweet and gentle disposition; and having, as
she believed, recovered the dear sister she had so
fearfully mourned, she was now in a fair way to
regain her reason also. As we have shown, she
could partially comprehend what was said to her,
though her mental perception was a good deal
mixed up with the strange, wild fancies of a disordered
brain.
While Isaline slept, therefore, she sat quietly by
her side, and watched her with the gentle fondness
of a mother overlooking the slumbers of her tender
offspring; and when Isaline again opened her eyes
and looked curiously around, Helen smiled, and said
very sweetly:
“I am so glad I see your dear bright eyes again!”
“Helen,” said Isaline, with an anxious look, “do
you know where we are?”
“Oh, yes—we are here together, sweet sister!”
“But we must get away from here, and go where
there are others!”
“Who are they?”
“We must go to some station. Do you not know
of any near this place?”
“We must not let the wicked Indians catch us!”
returned Helen, with a shudder.
“Oh, no—Heaven knows I do not wish to be in
their power again!” rejoined Isaline. “Here, give
-- 483 --
[figure description] Page 483.[end figure description]
me your hand, and I will see if I can get upon my
feet and stand.”
Assisted by Helen, Isaline succeeded, after a great
effort, in rising to her feet; and then she saw how
utterly incapable she was of performing a long
journey through the forest—an unknown journey
at that.
“Oh, what will become of me?” she groaned: “I
am too weak to go away, and I shall certainly perish
here!”
Oh, no, not again!” cried poor Helen. “You
have died once, you know, sweet sister—murdered
you were by the cruel Indians—and if you were
to die again and leave me, I believe I should go
mad!”
“Oh, this will drive me mad!” thought Isaline;
“to remain here, in this wretched condition, along
with a poor girl who has lost her reason! And then
how can I live? I must have food! and where am I
to get it? at least such as my weak system can
bear?”
“Helen,” she said to the poor girl, “have you anything
that I can eat?”
Helen ran to a little hollow among the rocks,
which she called her pantry, and brought forth a
few berries and some corn.
“I did have meat,” she said, “but you would not
touch it, and so I ate it to keep it from spoiling.”
“Where did you get it, Helen?”
“Oh, the good angels brought it to me, as they
-- 484 --
[figure description] Page 484.[end figure description]
often do. I dream sometimes of being very hungry,
and think I am going to starve, and then somebody
comes and whispers in my ear where I can get food,
and I go and find it.”
“And how do you manage to cook it?”
“I always eat it as they send it, sweet sister.”
“I fear these berries and this corn would do me
more harm than good, Helen!” said Isaline. “If I
only had some broth!”
“Broth? yes!” said Helen, brightening; “that was
what we made for poor dear papa when he was so
sick.”
“But we have no meat to make it of, and no way
to cook it if we had!” said Isaline, despairingly.
“Oh, what will become of me? what, what will
become of me? Helen, do you know where we
are?”
“Why, here!” returned the other, simply.
“What place is this?”
“Your home, sweet sister: you know we live here
together now!”
“But is there no fort or station near us? no place
where we can find human beings like ourselves?”
“I thought we were angels!” replied Helen, staring.
“Oh, it is enough to drive me mad!” groaned
Isaline. “Here, lend me your arm to lean on, and
I will try and see if I can leave this place, for surely
I shall die here!”
-- 485 --
[figure description] Page 485.[end figure description]
With the assistance of the poor maniac, Isaline
managed to walk a few steps.
“Oh, I am too weak!” she groaned; “and it is
folly to strive against fate! Take me back to my
rude bed, and let me die here!”
“Oh, no, you must not die again!” cried Helen, in
alarm.
“There is only one thing that can save my life,
my poor girl!” sighed Isaline, as she once more laid
herself down on her rude couch.
“What is that?” asked Helen.
“You must go and find somebody to come to my
assistance.”
Helen looked sad and troubled, and wrung her
hands.
“Won't the angels do?” she asked.
“No, the angels will not do in this case, Helen—
I must have human assistance.”
“Is it Henry you want?” asked Helen.
“Henry?” cried Isaline, in startled surprise; “what
do you know of Henry?”
“You have been talking of Henry for so long, and
would not call me Helen once!”
“Ah! that is all then!” groaned Isaline, her sudden
hope as suddenly overthrown. “God help me!”
“I wish I could think right!” pursued Helen,
with a perplexed and troubled look. “I have had
so many dark dreams, that I don't know how to
think. Are you sick?” she inquired, with great
tenderness.
-- 486 --
[figure description] Page 486.[end figure description]
“Yes!” answered Isaline, mechanically, feeling it
was no longer any use to continue a conversation
with one who could not comprehend what she
required.
“Our dear papa was sick, you know, and he died!”
“Yes!” replied Isaline.
“But you and dear mamma were murdered by
the Indians!”
“Yes!” assented Isaline.
“I will go for a doctor—shall I?”
“Yes!” said Isaline, feeling a heavy drowsiness
coming over her again, and now desiring only to be
left in peaceful quiet.
She was conscious that Helen arose and moved
away, and then she fell into a pleasant slumber.
Suddenly she was awakened and startled by the
report of a rifle, followed by a wild shriek, not unlike
that she had heard so many times before; and,
a minute after, poor Helen, with the mask on her
face, came flying into the little cave from without.
She ran up to Isaline and crouched down in terror,
and our heroine saw with alarm that she was partially
covered with blood, which was still flowing
freely from a wound in her arm.
“In Heaven's name, what is it? what has happened?”
cried Isaline.
“Oh, don't speak! don't stir!” gasped Helen, in a
wild, startled whisper; “for the cruel Indians are
coming to murder us both!”
“Indians?” returned Isaline, with a shudder.
-- 487 --
[figure description] Page 487.[end figure description]
“Well,” she added, a moment after, quite calmly,
“let them come: as well die one way as another!”
Presently she heard voices, and held her breath
to listen. At first she could not distinguish the
words, and then her very soul was thrilled with a
wild joy and hope.
“Whar's the use?” said the unmistakable voice of
Rough Tom Sturgess. “I tell you, younker, you
mought as wall shoot at chain lightning! fur no bullet
won't do no good thar! and ef you goes in, you'll
never come out alive, 'cept you does it in a blaze of
brimstone! Wagh!”
Then there was another voice in reply, and poor
Isaline felt as if her soul was leaving her in a wild
transport of joy.
“What is life to me now, Tom,” said the other
voice, “that I should fear to risk it here or elsewhere?
I will solve this mystery now, or die in
the attempt!”
For a few moments Isaline struggled to speak, and
then she fairly shrieked forth:
“Henry! dear, dear Henry!”
“Gracious God!” was the wild response.
Then there was a rush of steps through the passage-way,
and the next moment Henry Colburn
stood in the presence of Isaline Holcombe.
Heaven had been merciful, and the lovers had met
beyond the hour of peril.
-- 488 -- p473-493
CHAPTER XXXIII. CONCLUSION.
[figure description] Page 488.[end figure description]
It was a scene for a painter: Henry, wild with
hope, standing in the dim light of the cave, striving
to pierce the gloom and fix his eyes upon her who
had called him as from the grave; Tom stealing up
behind him, full of doubt and fear; Isaline, raised
to a sitting posture, breathless and speechless, her
hands clasped before her and her features radiant
with joy; and lastly poor Mary, with the hairy mask
still on her face, cowering down behind her and
quaking with terror.
“Isaline!” spoke Henry, as one would ask some
dread question in a charnel-vault, trembling lest he
had made some fearful mistake, for as yet he could
not see clearly.
“Here!” was the gasping response of Isaline, and
all she could say.
The next moment he was kneeling by her side,
clasping her in his arms, and soul was mingling with
soul.
Oh! the rapture—the ecstasy—of that meeting!
The heart has a language of its own, which the
tongue cannot utter. There are emotions of joy and
grief too deep for words. For a long time not
-- 489 --
[figure description] Page 489.[end figure description]
another syllable was spoken by the lovers; but there
were deep sighs, and tears of joy, and a feeling as if
eternity had given back the loved and lost, and
Heaven had come down to earth.
At last, when Henry drew back his head to gaze
once more upon the sweet face of the idol of his
soul, he started as one who receives a sudden shock.
“Gracious Heaven! what is this?” he cried.
“I have been ill, dear Henry—very ill, I suppose—
though I have no remembrance of it.”
“Oh, my poor darling! and I not with you!”
“But you are now, dear Henry, thank God! And
yet the Indians, dear Henry—the Indians—are we
not in danger from them now?”
“No, my poor darling, they have all been destroyed.”
“Wiped out, marm, like you'd rub out a chork
mark!” now joined in Tom, who all this time had
stood like one in a maze, looking curiously at the
lovers one moment, and fearfully at the dark, dread
Something, still cowering down behind them, the
next.
“Ha! is that you, Tom? my brave, true friend!”
said Isaline, extending her hand.
“I'm your fri'nd, marm, thar's no doubt about
that,” replied the old hunter, coming forward, “and
I'd a kicked up my heels and yelped out my feelings
afore this, 'cept I've been looking to see us all
carried off in a blaze of brimstone by that thar devil
behind you!”
-- 490 --
[figure description] Page 490.[end figure description]
“Oh, my poor Helen!” cried Isaline; “that I
should have forgotten her all this time! and she
wounded, and perhaps bleeding to death!”
“Merciful God!” exclaimed Henry, springing to
his feet, his memory also recalled, and gazing with
horrified amazement upon the poor lunatic; “is that
strange object a human being? and a woman at
that?”
“My poor Helen!” said Isaline, turning round to
her, throwing an arm around her neck, and herself
lifting off the hairy mask.
Both Henry and Tom uttered wild exclamations
of surprise, and the former sprung to the poor girl,
dropped down by her side, and cried, in an agitated
voice:
“God forgive me for firing at her and wounding
her! I hope not mortally! Quick, girl! where are
you hurt? Let me stanch the blood and bind up
your wound!”
“The poor creature has lost her reason!” said
Isaline.
“Oh, my dear, sweet sister, save me!” cried Helen,
throwing her arms around the neck of Isaline and
hiding her face against her throbbing heart.
“There, my poor child—my sweet sister—there
is nothing to fear now—for these are my friends,
come to save us both!” said Isaline, in a tender,
soothing tone.
Tom meantime had been like a man petrified—
staring wildly, with open mouth—not knowing
-- 491 --
[figure description] Page 491.[end figure description]
whether to credit his senses or not. At length he
drew in a long breath, and blew it out like a trumpet
blast.
“Heaven and 'arth! what's all this yere? A gal,
arter all, that we've been skeered out of our senses
at?”
“Nothing but a poor, harmless lunatic!” replied
Isaline.
“A what?” cried Tom.
“A poor girl who has lost her senses!” explained
Henry.
“Then I s'pect I'd better put out and soak my
head fur a _____ fool!” roared Tom. “Whe-e-w!
thunderation! wagh! shagh! git out! go away! let
me spile! whar's the use?”
He kept on with his exclamations, while Henry
hurriedly proceeded to examine the wound he had
himself inflicted. Fortunately his aim had not been
steady, and the ball, sped at the life of the supposed
Phantom, had passed through the fleshy portion of
her arm, without severing an artery or doing her
any serious injury. He cut away the covering of
skins around it, and bound it up with a strip torn
from the lining of his own coat—poor Helen, now
apparently satisfied that she had nothing more to
fear, looking on quietly, and even smiling. When
at last all was completed, he said:
“There, my poor girl, I thank God I did you no
greater harm! and for even this I will make
amends.”
-- 492 --
[figure description] Page 492.[end figure description]
“You ought to be my brother,” replied Helen;
“but then I never had a brother.”
“I will be a brother to you, poor child!” returned
Henry.
“This is my sweet sister!” pursued Helen, looking
fondly at Isaline and caressing her.
“Indeed I am,” replied Isaline, “and will ever be.”
“Woofh!” grunted Tom. “S'pect I'd better be
your father to onet!”
“How about the fire and brimstone?” asked
Henry, playfully.
“See he-yar, younker, you kin blow!” replied
Tom; “but I s'pect you'll allow as I warn't the only
white gintleman as war skeered!”
“Indeed you were not!” smiled Henry; “and perhaps
you were not the only one who saw fire and
brimstone, blue blazes, and several other things!”
“Shagh! whar's the use?” growled Tom.
“Never mind, my brave friend!” rejoined Henry;
“the best of us are liable to mistakes; and I fervently
thank God that we have all made them in
some things, and that all has ended so happily for
us!”
He then turned to Isaline, and put many tender
inquiries concerning her present condition and her
wonderful escape, and was thrilled with horror at
her recital of her fall over the cliff and the fearful
events that had followed.
“And has this poor girl since been able to keep
-- 493 --
[figure description] Page 493.[end figure description]
you supplied with such food as you could eat,
dearest?” he inquired.
“Of food I have tasted none, dear Henry, since
I was carried off by Methoto!” replied Isaline.
“What?” cried Henry, all aghast.
“What?” yelled Tom: “not eat nothing fur a
week? Why, marm, that ar' would kill a hoss!”
“Gracious Heaven! how have you lived?” exclaimed
Henry.
“Fortunately for me, I have not been fully conscious
of existence but a few hours!” returned
Isaline. “But what do you mean by speaking of a
week?” she pursued, wonderingly. “Surely it is
not a week since I fell over the cliff?”
“Not quite, I think,” replied Henry, “but at least
some five or six days.”
“I thank Heaven then that the time has passed
without my knowledge!” said Isaline; “for had I
been left all that period to racking thought, I fear I
should now have been no better than my poor friend
here!”
“Oh, it is terrible! terrible! to think how near I
have been to losing you forever, my darling!” said
Henry, in a tremulous voice. “But you must have
something to eat now, dear Isaline!” pursued the
excited lover; “and what can we give you that will
not injure you?”
“Broth!” said Helen; “like we made for our dear
papa when he was so sick.”
“Ah, yes, that would do—but how to prepare it
-- 494 --
[figure description] Page 494.[end figure description]
at once!” said Henry. “Tom, do you know of any
way?”
“Thar's meat enough up whar we camped,” replied
the old woodman, “ef thar war any way to
bile it; but thar arn't a dish about, 'cept our drinking
cups. Stop! I've got a idee, Harry—I'll fix
it. How long kin you wait, marm?”
“I am not suffering with hunger,” replied Isaline;
“in fact I have but little desire for food; I only feel
weak and faint, that is all.”
“Lord bless your purty soul, no wonder!” cried
Tom. “A week without eating? Why, I'd hev a
holler in me by that time as ud take in a hull buffaler—
yes, marm! Wall, jist you hold on a bit,
and keep up your sperits, and I'll fotch you so'thing
afore long. You kin stay with her, Harry, and
cheer her up.”
With this, and muttering to himself, “a week
without nary thing to eat!” Tom hurried out of
the cave.
“And now, dear Henry, you must tell me about
yourself, and by what mercy of Heaven I see you
here!” said Isaline, as he seated himself by her side,
drew her fondly to him, and supported her pale, thin
face against his noble heart, that beat only for her.
He did tell her all that had befallen him, speaking
in that low, tender tone that was music to her soul;
and with deep sighs, and tearful eyes, and now and
then a shudder at his sufferings or perils, she rested
her head against his manly breast, looked up
-- 495 --
[figure description] Page 495.[end figure description]
lovingly into his handsome face, and felt she had
never known pure happiness till then.
“And so our cruel enemies are all dead?” she
said, with a shudder, when she had heard the tragic
tale.
“All gone, dearest—you have nothing more to
fear from them.”
“Ah, dear Henry, what an end for those three
white men—Hampton, Blodget and Methoto!”
“And do you not think they all deserved their
fate, dearest?”
“It is not for me to judge, dear Henry,” replied
Isaline, solemnly: “let us leave them in the hands
of God!”
“Oh, to think I was so near you more than once,
my darling, groaning out my despair, and yet going
away and leaving you to suffer!”
“All has been for the best, dear Henry!” returned
Isaline; “all has been for the best, my noble friend!
Let us regret nothing—repine at nothing—but
thank God, with all our souls, that He has brought
us together again!”
“I do, dearest—I do!” replied Henry; “and when
I cease to thank Him, I shall deserve to lose the
happiness which now I feel. Oh, if, when so near
you again to-day, I had gone away and left you here
to perish! I tremble even now to think of it!
And yet I might have done so, but for the Providence
that directed me hither through our poor
sister Helen!”
-- 496 --
[figure description] Page 496.[end figure description]
“You wanted to kill me,” now joined in the poor
girl, who had remained a quiet listener to Henry's
narrative; “but God wouldn't permit it! If you had
murdered me,” she pursued, “I should have come
back to sister Ellen here, because she was murdered
once and came back to me!”
“The reason you were shot at and wounded, dear
Helen,” explained Isaline, “was because you had
this hairy mask on your face, and were supposed to
be some wild animal. You must never wear it
again, dear Helen—will you?”
“No, sweet sister, I will throw it away!” replied
Helen.
“She seems to understand some things!” said
Henry.
“Yes, and I believe, with kind, gentle treatment
and care, she will yet fully regain her reason!” returned
Isaline. “But tell me how it happened that
you discovered her so near this place?”
“After I had learned from Blodget, on the evening
before his execution, that he had seen nothing
of you, dear Isaline, either living or dead,” replied
Henry, “I believed you were lost to me forever, and
felt as if I had nothing more to live for. Thinking
it possible I might find your remains somewhere in
this vicinity, I resolved to come back here alone
and search for them, and perhaps end my days here;
but when, the day following, which was yesterday, I
attempted to separate from my brave, true friend,
Rough Tom, I found it impossible—for he declared
-- 497 --
[figure description] Page 497.[end figure description]
I should not leave him behind—and so we came
together to this place, which we reached last night
a little before dark.”
“Were you indeed here last night, dear Henry?”
“Not at this cave, but at the spot where you went
over the cliff, my darling, which is scarcely more
than a hundred yards distant.”
“Ah, that is what I have been so anxious to find
out, but my poor Helen here could not comprehend
me.”
“I brought you here, sweet sister!” said Helen.
“I know you did, poor girl, and have tenderly
cared for me since, and, if I live, you shall never
regret it!” returned Isaline.
“You ought to have seen her among the wolves,
dear brother!” said Helen to Henry.
“It must have been awful! awful!” shuddered
Henry; “and to think that on that night, of all nights,
I was sleeping soundly in the Indian camp! I do
not understand it!”
“Providence sent you that sleep to save you from
madness, dear Henry!” said Isaline.
“At least I will endeavor to think so,” answered
Henry, “for otherwise I must severely blame myself—
though I could have done nothing for you
then, dearest, even had I been at liberty. Yes, I
feel that all has indeed been for the best! But to
resume. Tom and I made another search last night,
till it grew dark, and then we went up the cliff, to
where we had camped before, and spent the night
-- 498 --
[figure description] Page 498.[end figure description]
there—a wretched night for me indeed! This morning
we resumed our search along the beach, and
even passed this spot, going a mile or two below.
Then we went up the cliff into the forest and killed
a deer; after which we came back, searching carefully
along the top of the cliff, but of course finding
nothing to reward us for our labor. I need not
detail all that followed. Suffice it to say, that, being
once more down on the beach, we suddenly espied
what we believed to be the Phantom of the Forest;
and against the remonstrance of my companion, I
raised my rifle, took a quick, unsteady aim, and
fired, with what success you know. I humbly thank
God that my aim was no better! for had I killed
this poor girl on the spot, I might still have lost
you, dear Isaline, and I should have had the everlasting
regret of knowing I had sent a fellow-being
to eternity! That the object I fired at was human,
I did not for a moment suppose, but rather that it
was some wild beast, of an unknown genus and
species. Poor Helen shrieked and fled to this cave,
and Tom and I followed, he protesting that my life
would be sacrificed to my folly, and I then caring
little how soon I might lose it, but determined to
solve the mystery at any hazard. When I reached
the cave and heard you call my name, I could not
credit my senses, but with a wild hope bounded
forward, and would have done so had I even known
I was plunging into the jaws of death!”
“God bless you, dear Henry!” said Isaline, in a
-- 499 --
[figure description] Page 499.[end figure description]
low, tremulous tone, looking up so lovingly into his
clear, blue eyes; “how can I ever repay you for all
you have done and sacrificed for me?”
“I am ten thousand times repaid already!”
answered Henry, folding the lovely girl to his heart.
In something like a couple of hours Rough Tom
returned, with an air of triumph, bringing a cup
full of broth.
“I've done it!” he exclaimed; “I've done it beautiful!
Thar's more ways nor one to skin a cat,
without pulling the hide off over her head. Begs
your pardon, marm! but thar arn't no cats about
this yere—no, marm! It's the ginewine thing—
made of the best deer meat you ever eat. I'll tell
you how it war cooked. You see I couldn't put
this yere cup over the fire to bile, case it wouldn't
stand no sich nonsense; but I found a holler stone,
as would hold a heap of water, and I filled that thar
from the river, and put hot stones into that till that
biled, and so kept that a byling till this yere biled,
and now I've got so'thing as you kin take to start
with.”
“A thousand thanks, my dear friend!” said Isaline,
as she took the cup from the hands of Tom and
slowly drank off the steaming contents. “Really,
this gives me new life and strength!” she added.
As it was then late in the day, it was thought
best, considering the condition of Isaline, to remain
in the cave at least another night. This was done;
and Tom prepared another cup of broth, which
-- 500 --
[figure description] Page 500.[end figure description]
Isaline drank, and found herself in a state to justify
her eating a little meat on the following morning.
She was still too weak to walk through the wilderness,
and the first plan of her companions was to
carry her on a litter. They had already begun to
construct one, when Tom suddenly exclaimed:
“Stop, younker—I hev it! Wagh! Whar's the
use of heving brains, lad, ef we don't use 'em!
Thar's the hosses we left, hey?”
“Oh, yes—do you think we can find them now,
Tom?” cried Henry, with a joyous hope.
“Leastways I'll go and see!” answered Tom.
“Jest you stay he-yar with the colonel's darter till I
comes back!”
He immediately set off, and Henry remained with
Isaline and Helen, passing the time very happily
till his return with the horses, which cost him so
long a search that it was late in the afternoon before
his welcome shout was once more heard.
Isaline had been steadily improving under the
watchful care of Henry; but it was now thought
best to pass still another night in the cave, which
was accordingly done. By the following morning
she had recovered so much strength as to be able to
sit her horse; and then our friends set off slowly
through the wilderness, and before night reached
one of the stations on the Kentucky River, where
they were received with true border hospitality, and
where they remained for several days, enjoying a
-- 501 --
[figure description] Page 501.[end figure description]
happiness the more sweet for the many sufferings
and perils through which they had passed.
But little more remains to be told. A few days
later they reached Harrod's Station in safety, where
Isaline was clasped in the arms of her father and
her two black servants, as one who had truly come
back from the grave. The father wept for joy; and
Priscilla and Rhoda, who had reached that place
some days in advance of our heroine, mourning her
as lost to them forever, were perfectly wild with
delight.
“Oh, my dear, dear, dear Miss Isaline! God
bress you, honey!” cried Rhoda, throwing her arms
around her mistress' neck, clinging to her spasmodically,
and giving way to a wild burst of tears.
“Oh, honey darling—honey darling—angel ob
goodness—lubly creatur'—bress God Ise got you
ag'in, arter all the skeers Ise had out on you!”
yelled Priscilla, almost smothering her mistress in
turn.
Isaline, never more happy in her life, wept with
them all.
After Colonel Holcombe had heard the whole
story of his daughter's sufferings, perils, hairbreadth
escapes, wonderful preservations, and the devotion
of the two brave men who had at last brought her
safely to his arms, he took Tom and Henry aside.
First giving his hand to the old woodman, he
said, in a faltering voice, and with tear-dimmed eyes:
“Tom Sturgess, my brave, noble fellow, God bless
-- 502 --
[figure description] Page 502.[end figure description]
you! If half my fortune can recompense you for
what you have done for me, it is yours!”
“Agh! wagh! whar's the use?” cried Tom. “Ef
I arn't paid already, Colonel, I'm a nigger and
oughter spile! Don't say another word, Colonel,'
cept you wants to see a feller about my size break
fur tall timber! Woofh! thunderation! catermounts
and allergators! whar's the use?”
“And to you, my friend,” pursued the Colonel,
grasping Henry's hand in turn, “I have only one
thing to say. Will you accept the dear girl you
have saved for your reward?”
Henry struggled to speak, but his tongue would
not articulate, and so he wrung the Colonel's hand
in silence.
A few days later, Rough Tom danced at the wedding
of Henry Colburn and Isaline Holcombe—one
of the brightest, gayest and happiest ever seen in
the wilds of Kentucky.
Tom went back alone to the wilderness, or with
other companions, and for years continued his
perilous occupation, proving himself one of the
boldest and bravest scouts and hunters of the border.
After the signing of the treaty of peace with the
Indians at Greenville, he returned to his dearest
friends, and settled down near them, a confirmed
but happy old bachelor.
Some three years after her marriage with Henry,
Isaline was agreeably surprised to find she had fallen
heir, by will, to the great fortune of her mother's
-- 503 --
[figure description] Page 503.[end figure description]
half uncle, in England, Sir Joshua Speed—the same
fortune, it will be remembered, to obtain which,
through the possession of herself, had led Charles
Hampton, alias Stephen Rogers, to concoct the
wicked plot that in the end had cost him his life.
This fortune Isaline was only too happy to place in
the hands of her noble husband, who subsequently
became one of the richest landholders in Kentucky
and one of the foremost men in the State.
Helen Mervine recovered her reason, and afterward
married a man of legal eminence, settling
down near her sweet sister, as she ever continued to
call Isaline. As with her originated, so with her
ended, the Phantom of the Forest.
THE END.
-- --
[figure description] Blank Page.[end figure description]
Back matter
-- --
LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.
[figure description] Page 001.[end figure description]
Mailing Notice.—Single copies of any of these Books will be
sent to any address, post-paid, on receipt of price. This very convenient
mode may be adopted where your neighboring bookseller is
not supplied with the work. Address,
John E. Potter & Co., Publishers, No. 617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia.
Life and public services of abraham Lincoln.
Containing his early History and Political Career. By Frank
Crosby, of the Philadelphia Bar. With Potrait on steel. 12mo., cloth.
Price $1 75.
The same translated into the german
language. By Professor Carl Theodor Eben. 12mo., cloth. Price
$1 75.
Life and public services of stephen a.
douglas. To which are added his Speeches and Reports. By H. M.
Flint. With Portrait on steel. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Life of daniel boone, the Great Western Hunter and
Pioneer. By Cecil B. Hartley. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth.
Price $1 75.
Life of kit carson, the Great Western Hunter and
Guide. By Charles Burdett. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price
$1 75.
Life of david crockett, the Original Humorist
and Irrepressible Backwoodsman. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth.
Price $1 75.
Life and adventures of miss major pauline
cushman, the Celebrated Union Spy and Scout. By F. L. Sarmiento,
Esq., of the Philadelphia Bar. With Portrait and illustrations. 12mo.,
cloth. Price $1 75.
-- 002 --
[figure description] Page 002.[end figure description]
Thrilling STORIES OF THE GREAT REBELLION.
Including an Account of the Death of President Lincoln, and Capture of
the Assassins. By Lieutenant-Colonel Charles S. Greene, late of the
United States Army. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Thrilling ADVENTURES AMONG THE EARLY
SETTLERS. Embracing Desperate Encounters with Indians, Refugees,
Gamblers, Desperadoes, etc. etc. By Warren Wildwood, Esq. Illustrated
by 200 engravings. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Thrilling INCIDENTS IN THE WARS OF THE
UNITED STATES. Embracing all the Wars previous to the Rebellion.
With 300 engravings. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Our BOYS. The rich and racy scenes of Army and Camp
Life, as seen and participated in by one of the Rank and File. By A.
F. Hill, of the Eighth Pa. Reserves. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth.
Price $1 75.
Our CAMPAIGNS; or, a Three Years' Term of Service in
the War. By E. M. Woodward, Adjutant Second Pennsylvania Reserves.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The BEAUTIFUL SPY. An exciting story of Army and
High Life in New York in 1776. By Charles Burdett. 12mo., cloth.
Price $1 75.
The ROYALIST'S DAUGHTER AND THE REBELS.
A tale of the Revolution of unusual power and interest. By Rev. David
Murdoch, D. D. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The HERO GIRL, and how she became a Captain in the
Army. By Thrace Talmon. With illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price
$1 75.
Hunting ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN
WILDS, By S. H. Hammond. Illustrated. Cloth. Price $1 75.
Wild NORTHERN SCENES. By S. H. Hammond, author
of “Hunting Adventures in the Northern Wilds.” Illustrated.
Cloth. Price $1 75.
Fanny HUNTER'S WESTERN ADVENTURES. Illustrated.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
-- 003 --
[figure description] Page 003.[end figure description]
Wonderful ADVENTURES BY LAND AND SEA
of the Seven Queer Travellers who met at an Inn. By Josiah Barnes.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The EARLY DAYS OF CALIFORNIA. By Col. J. T.
Farnham. 12mo., illustrated, cloth. Price $1 75.
Nicaragua, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. By
Peter F. Stout, Esq., late United States Vice-Consul. With a Map.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Female LIFE AMONG THE MORMONS. By Maria
Ward, the Wife of a Mormon Elder. Illustrated. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Male LIFE AMONG THE MORMONS. By Austin N.
Ward. Illustrated. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The WHITE ROCKS; or, the Robber's Den. A Tragedy
of the Mountains of thrilling interest. By A. F. Hill, author of “Our
Boys,” etc. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Tupper's COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS. With
Portrait on steel. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The YOUNG LADY'S OWN BOOK. An offering of
Love and Sympathy. By Emily Thornwell. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Sunlight AND SHADOW; or, the Poetry of Home.
By Harry Penciller. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Great EXPECTATIONS. By Charles Dickens. With
steel engravings. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The SOLDIER AND THE SORCERESS; or, the Adventures
of Jane Seton. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The ORPHAN BOY; or, Lights and Shadows of Humble
Life. By Jeremy Loud. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The ORPHAN GIRLS. A Tale of Southern Life. By
James S. Peacocke, M. D., of Mississippi. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
-- 004 --
[figure description] Page 004.[end figure description]
Book of Anecdotes and Joker's Knapsack.
Including Wittieisms of the late President Lincoln, and Humors, Incidents,
and Absurdities of the War. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Way Down East; or, Portraitures of Yankee Life. By
Seba Smith, the original Major Jack Downing. Illustrated. 12mo.,
cloth. Price $1 75.
The Ladies' Medical Guide and Marriage
Friend By S. Pancoast, M. D., Professor of Physiology in Penn
Medical University, Philadelphia. With upwards of 100 illustrations.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Boyhood's Perils and Manhood's Curse. An
earnest appeal to the young men of America. By S. Pancoast, M. D.
With numerous illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The Curability of Consumption by Medicated
Inhalation and Adjunet Bemedies. By S. Pancoast, M. D. With illustrations.
Cloth. Price $1 50.
The American Text-Book. Containing the Constitution
of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and
Washington's Farewell Address. 24mo., cloth. Price 25 cents.
Horse Training Made Easy. A New and Practical
System of Teaching and Educating the Horse. By Robert Jennings,
V. S. of the Veterinary College of Philadelphia, author of “The Horse
and his Diseases,” etc. etc. With illustrations. 16mo., cloth. Price
$1 25.
The Horse and His Diseases. By Robert Jennings,
V. S., author of “Horse Training Made Easy,” etc. etc. With numerous
illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
Cattle and Their Diseases. By Robert Jennings,
V. S. With numerous illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75. (Uniform
with the above.)
Sheep, Swine, and Poultry. By Robert Jennings,
V. S. With numerous illustrations. 12mo., cloth. Price $1 75. (Uniform
with the above.)
Everybody's Lawyer and Counsellor In
Business. By Frank Crosby, Esq., of the Philadelphia Bar. 12mo.
Price $1 75.
-- 005 --
[figure description] Page 005.[end figure description]
The Family Doctor; containing, in Plain Language,
free from Medical Terms, the Causes, Symptoms, and Cure of Disease in
all forms. By Henry S. Taylor, M. D. With illustrations. Cloth.
Price $1 50.
Modern Cookery in all its Branches. By Miss Eliza
Aeton. Carefully revised by Mrs. S. J. Hale. With numerous illustrations.
12mo., cloth. Price $1 75.
The Early Morn. An Address to the Young on the
Importance of Religion. By John Foster. 24mo., cloth. Price 25 ets.
Family Prayers. Adapted to every day in the week.
By the late Rev. William Wilberforce. Cloth. Price 37 cents.
The History of Palestine from the Patriarchal
Ages to the Present Time. By John Kitto. With illustrations. Cloth.
Price $1 50.
The Wreath of Gems. A gift book for the young of
both sexes. By Emily Pereival. Cloth. Price $1 50.
The Rainbow Around The Tomb; or, Rays of
Hope for those who Mourn. By Emily Thornwell. Cloth. Price $1 50.
The Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, from his Inearnation to his Ascension into Heaven. By Rev.
John Fleetwood, D. D. With steel and colored plates. Crown Svo.,
library style. Price $4.
The Religious Denominations in The
United States. Their History, Doctrine, Government, and Statisties.
By Rev. Joseph Belcher, D. D., author of “William Carey, a
Biography,” and editor of the “Complete Works of Andrew Fuller,”
“Works of Robert Hall,” etc. With nearly 200 engravings. Crown
Svo., library style. Price $4 50.
The Good Child's Illustrated Instruction
Book. With more than sixty illustrations. Quarto, bound in
cloth. Plain pictures, $1. illuminated, $1 25.
The Little Folks' Own Book. With sixty illustrations.
Quarto, cloth. Plain pictures, $1. Illuminated, $1 25.
-- 006 --
[figure description] Page 006.[end figure description]
Uncle JOHN'S OWN BOOK OF MORAL AND INSTRUCTIVE
STORIES. With more than fifty illustrations. Crown
quarto, cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
Grandfather's STORIES. With sixty illustrations.
Crown quarto. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
National NURSERY TALES. With sixty illustrations.
Folio, bound in cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
National FAIRY TALES. With more than seventy
illustrations. Folio, cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
The LITTLE KITTEN STORIES. With fifty beautiful
illustrations. Folio, cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
The FUNNY ANIMALS. With more than sixty illustrations.
Folio, cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
Our NINA'S PET STORIES. With fifty beautiful illustrations.
Folio, cloth. Plain pictures, $1 50. Illuminated, $2.
Family AND PULPIT BIBLES. Nearly sixty different
styles; with Family Record and with and without Photograph Record.
With clasps or otherwise, and ranging in price from $5 to $30.
Juvenile AND TOY BOOKS. Embracing 150 varieties,
beautifully illustrated and adapted to the tastes of the little ones everywhere;
at prices ranging from 10 cents to $2.
Photograph ALBUMS in every size and variety, holding
from twelve to two hundred pictures, and ranging in price from 75
cents to $20.
Persons wishing a full catalogue of all our Books, Albums, and
Bibles, will please send two red stamps to pay return postage.
The trade everywhere supplied on favorable terms.
Address, JOHN E. POTTER & CO., Publishers,
617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia.
-- --
[figure description] Blank Page.[end figure description]
-- --
[figure description] Blank Page.[end figure description]
-- --
[figure description] Free Endpaper.[end figure description]
-- --
[figure description] Free Endpaper.[end figure description]
-- --
[figure description] Paste-Down Endpaper.[end figure description]
Bennett, Emerson, 1822-1905 [1868], The phantom of the forest: a tale of the dark and bloody ground. (John E. Potter and Company, Philadelphia) [word count] [eaf473T].
