Part 2 (2/2)
They set to work ian to totter, when a dark object, they could not tell what, in the diht, crawled from its place of conceal into the next tree snatching up their rifles, they both fired together; when, to their astonish Indian squaith a wild yell, fell to the ground
They ran to the spot where she lay motionless, and carried her to the borders of the wood, where they had thatdis himself into the saddle, carried the almost lifeless body before him The poor creature never spoke
Several ti she was dead: her pulse only told the spirit had not flown from its earthly tenement When they reached the river which had been crossed by them before, they washed the wounds, and sprinkled water on her face This appeared to revive her; and when Richard again lifted her in his arms to place her on his horse, he fancied he heard her e sight, those terfulthey had a few hours before sought to slay, and endeavoring to stanch the blood that flowed from wounds which they had made! Yet so it was It would have appeared to them a sin to leave the Indian wo inflicted the wound, and doubtless would have been better pleased had it been mortal; but they would not have murdered a wounded enemy, even an Indian warrior, still less a squaw
The party continued their journey until ht, when they stopped, to rest their jaded horses Having wrapped the squaw in their bear-skins, they lay down the save the clothes they wore
They were in no want of provisions, as, not knohen they ood supply of bread and dried venison, not wishi+ng to loose any precious ti food while on the trail
The brandy still re in their flasks, they preserved for the use of their captive The evening of the following day, they reached the trapper's hut, where they were not a little surprised to find Susan She told theed her to live with the reminded her of one to think of as now her only consolation; and that, while she had Nero, she feared nothing They needed not to tell their mournful tale--Susan already understood it but too clearly She begged them to leave the Indian woman with her ”You have no one,” said she, ”to tend and watch her as I can do; besides, it is not right that I should lay such a burden on you” Although unwilling to i her husband's ht; and seeing how earnestly she desired it, at last consented to leave the Indian woe, as tenderly as if it had been her sister At first she lay alrew delirious, and raved wildly Susan fortunately could not understand what she said, but often turned shuddering ahen the Indian woman would strive to rise fro a bow; or yell wildly, and cower in terror beneath the clothes--reacting in her deliriurees reason returned; she gradually got better, but seeht of Nero The first proof of returning reason she had shoas a shriek of terror when he once accidentally followed hisSusan one, without having taken farewell of her kind benefactress
A few years after, Susan Cooper,--no longer ”pretty Susan,” for tiht, a hurried knock, which was repeated several times before she could open the door, each time more loudly than before She called to ask who it was at that late hour of night A few hurried words in Iroquois was the reply, and Susan congratulated herself on having spoken before unbarring the door But, on listening again, she distinctly heard the sanized it as the Indian woman's voice she had nursed The door was instantly opened, when the squaw rushed into the hut, seized Susan by the arns to her to come away She was too lish she had picked up when living with the white woestures, with a clearness peculiar to the Indians, she dragged rather than led Susan froe of the forest when the wild yells of the Indians sounded in their ears Having gone with Susan a little way into the forest, her guide left her For nearly four hours she lay there, half dead with cold and terror, not daring to move fro, where soabove the trees, and heard the shrill ”whoops” of the retiring Indians Nero, as lying by her side, suddenly rose and gave a lol Silently a dark figure ca the trees directly to the spot where she lay She gave herself up for lost; but it was the Indian wo of rateful creature knehere it was kept; and while the Indians were busied exa to the her arm around to show that all was now quiet, she pointed in the direction of Wilton's house, and was again lost a when Susan reached the squatter's cabin Having heard the sad story, Wilton and two of his sons started i was to be seen save a heap of ashes The party had apparently consisted of only three or four Indians; but a powerful tribe being in the neighborhood, they saould be too hazardous to follow them Frohter to the old man, and a sister to his sons, who often said, ”That, as far as they were concerned, the Indians had never done a kindlier action than in burning down Susan Cooper's hut”
DEAF SMITH,
THE CELEBRATED TEXAN SPY
About two years after the Texan revolution, a difficulty occurred between the new government and a portion of the people, which threatened the most serious consequences--even the bloodshed and horrors of civil war Briefly, the cause was this: The constitution had fixed the city of Austin as the permanent capital, where the public archives were to be kept, with the reservation, however, of a power in the president to order their teer fron ene that the exceptional eency had arrived, as the Caht of the capital itself, Houston, who then resided at Washi+ngton, on the Brazos, dispatched an order co his subordinate functionaries to send the state records to the latter place, which he declared to be, _pro teovernment
It is iation of this fiat raised in Austin The keepers of hotels, boarding-houses, groceries, and faro-banks, were thunderstruck,--maddened to frenzy; for the measure would be a death-blow to their prosperity in business; and, accordingly, they deterer, by opposing the execution of Houston'sof the citizens and farmers of the circumjacent country, ere all more or less interested in the question; and, after ainst the asserted tyranny of the administration, it was unanimously resolved to prevent the removal of the archives, by open and aranized a co the other at regular periods of duty, should keep constant guard around the state-house until the peril passed by The commander of this force was one Colonel Morton, who had achieved considerable renown in the war for independence, and had still more recently displayed desperate bravery in two desperate duels, in both of which he had cut his antagonist nearly to pieces with the bowie-knife
Indeed, froe as well as courage, it was thought that President Houston would renounce his purpose touching the archives, so soon as he should learn as the leader of the opposition
Morton, on his part, whose vanity fully equaled his personal prowess, encouraged and justified the prevailing opinion, by his boastful threats He swore that if the president did succeed in re force, he would then, himself, hunt him down like a wolf, and shoot him with as little ceremony, or stab him in his bed, or waylay him in his walks of recreation He even wrote the hero of San Jacinto to that effect The latter replied in a note of laconic brevity:
”If the people of Austin do not send the archives, I shall certainly come and take them; and if Colonel Morton can kill me, he is welcome to uard was doubled around the state-house Chosen sentinels were stationed along the road leading to the capital, the ht, and a select caucus held per betokened a co tempest
One day, while matters were in this precarious condition, the caucus at the city hall was surprised by the sudden appearance of a stranger, whosewas as extraordinary as his looks and dress He did not knock at the closed door--he did not seek ad, unseen, a srew beside the wall, he leaped, without sound or warning, through a loftyHe was clothed altogether in buckskin, carried a long and heavy rifle in his hand, wore at the button of his left suspender a large bowie-knife, and had in his leathern belt a couple of pistols half the length of his gun He was tall, straight as an arrow, active as a panther in his motions, with dark complexion, and luxuriant, jetty hair, with a severe, iron-like countenance, that seemed never to have known a s, and piercing as the point of a dagger His strange advent inspired a thrill of involuntary fear, and rasped the handles of their side-arentlemen, without invitation?” de to con the stranger with his eye
The latter returned his stare with coer on his lip, as a sign--but of what, the spectators could not iine
”Who are you? Speak! or I will cut an answer out of your heart!” shouted Morton, alaze of the other, who now reer from his lip, and laid it on the hilt of his er, and was in the act of advancing upon the stranger, when several caught hi ”Let him alone, Morton, for God's sake Do you not perceive that he is crazy?”
At the e Webb, a man of shrewd intellect and courteous manners, stepped forward, and addressed the intruder in a ood friend, I presume you have , where none but er did not appear to comprehend the words; but he could not fail to understand the id features relaxed, andto a table in the center of the hall, where there were , he seized a pen, and traced one line: ”I am deaf” He then held it up before the spectators, as a sort of natural apology for his oant of politeness
Judge Webb took the paper, and wrote a question: ”Dear sir, will you be so obliging as to infor?”
The other responded by delivering a letter, inscribed on the back, ”To the citizens of Austin” They broke the seal and read it aloud It was from Houston, and showed the usual terse brevity of his style:
”FELLOW CITIZENS:--Though in error, and deceived by the arts of traitors, I will give you three days more to decide whether you will surrender the public archives At the end of that time you will please let me know your decision”