Description
CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. The Night before the Departure 9 II. The Fate of the Flat-Boat 21 III. The Two Scouts 46 IV. The Faint Hope 59 V. The Mysterious Warning 70 VI. The Frontier Angel--The Shawnees 83 VII. The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties 90 VIII. A Man in Trouble 105 IX. Peter Jenkins--A Couple of Speeches 127 X. In which there is a Future Account of the Shawnees, the Speakers, and Jenkins 139 XI. A Prize Gained and Lost 151 XII. A Mingling of Fear, Doubt, and Hope 174 XIII. Dark 189 XIV. The Attack in the Wood 201 XV. All's Well that Ends Well. 225CHAPTER I.THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DEPARTURE.IN the western part of Pennsylvania, near the commencement of the Ohioriver, stands a small town, which, at the close of the last century,numbered about thirty dwellings. Although properly a border settlementat the time mentioned, there were so many others beyond, that it washardly regarded as being in the Mighty West. The inhabitants weremostly farmers, possessed of large and beautiful farms, who commencedtheir labors in the morning, and retired to rest in the evening, withoutmuch fear of the molestation of their savage brethren. True, a few yearsprevious, the latter had committed murders and depredations even farthereast than this, and the settlers never allowed themselves fully to giveway to an undue sense of security. But, unless a most unexpected triumphshould crown the struggles of the Indians, there was little occasion forapprehension upon the part of the whites.The time on which we visit this village, is an evening in the spring,toward the close of the last century. The night is dark and cloudy, andthe houses are invisible in the deep gloom; but there are numeroustwinkling lights in the different dwellings, which give it theappearance of a constellation set in the vast sky of darkness around.Broad fields of cleared land stretch for a long distance into thebackground, while there are numerous other dwellings further eastward,toward Pittsburg, and many cabins further westward in Ohio and Virginia;so that they are not without neighbors, and may properly be said stillto be in the land of civilization.Near the western end of the village, stood a large frame house, in thelower story of which a bright light was burning. Within, and seatedaround a large, crackling fire, were four individuals engaged inconversation. The first was a pleasant, middle-aged man, rather portlyand good-natured; the second was his wife, a few years younger, with anequally pleasant face, and a cheerful, musical voice. Upon the oppositeside of the fire sat a young man, of a hardy, muscular frame, and arather handsome appearance. Beside him was a maiden of eighteen ortwenty years, who, without the least exaggeration on our part, might bepronounced beautiful.The first couple, as said, were man and wife. The second two intended tobe at some future time--that is, they were lovers.
Amazon UK