A WARM HIDING PLACE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1131, 1 March 1870, Page 4

A WARM HIDING PLACE.

!> : A STPEY OF INDIAN WABFA.RE. (From the "Gentleman's Magazine.") Thbbe are* many instances connected with the early settlement of Kentucky that have not as yet been touched upon by the sketch- writer or the novelist ;" and tho following adventure which we now give to thejreader t is one of those that have for so long a time lain buried. (.Among, those that regarded themselves as living within the confines of Boones-bpijough-—though so far from the station that bore the name of its founder as to be almost unprotected by it — was a settler, known.' among his friends and neighbours by. -.the name of Dick Turner. He had built ;his : ; cabin on the very outskirts of tU&j settlemeriti and, with his wife and -three, <jhil«lren, had for two years lived in peace -and, quietness, unmolested by the savages that were at all times, in greater or r ,less numbers, abroad on the . war-path. Their Vearest' neighbour was half-a-mile 4jvay 4own the river, out of sight of hearing; .arid: had- i.t not been for the smoke tKijt every .inbrnihg curled above the trqetQps,tone would not have known, standing in, .the, doorway of Dick Turner's cabin, ■ Viki Jhat"his' , was i .the only settlement for miles around, for on every hand was the forest unbroken and solemn as in the days Before Danifel Booiie led the first party of Ba¥3jpSdventurers ; over the Cumberland Mountains.; 4 -* \sonWftern6on,, the last of August, as • jllcfc-wag at' Work in his clearing — and as i| 'dld&n'oed at a point as far from the cabin as ? Was-W6isibls'for;him to'be without beirlgin itne forest;— lie ;vFas startled by the sttdde.nßppearance of half-a-dozen Indians, HiaetlUs,. with: warfpaih6, who surrounded Mm ialiato'stbefofe he was aware of their §res&ice, &nd before he could ~ spring and graspWs rifle that he always carried into the fißd when at; work. Startled by their sudden appe^Vance, he made a motion towaMs'it; but a heavy hand was laid upon his 'shoulder, and its owner said, in broken EnghW: ' , , '', * "" White' man, go with us." s, " : 3ST O^" said Dick, looking him full in the face. ""Can't do that; much work to •■ And : lie pointed at what> he had been doing, and then cast a wistful glance at his rifle, tihat was now in the hand of one of ihe savages. . ; : " Come,", said the savage, and who appe&£d to be the leader, as well as the only one that knew a word of English. *'' White man must go." Dick glanced towards the cabin, and saw his; wife standing in the doorway aplparently 1 in great alarm at his situation. The savages saw her, and after a word or two between themselves, three of them started in that direction. Uuperceived by . his captors, -Dick' made a sign that his wife fortunately understood, and she disappeared within', Closing the door in such a manner that the savages failed to obtain admittance,- as Dick saw to his great joy, trying it for a few moments, they -'hastily rStiirned ' and joined the otl(ers. i; Evidently small in point ot numbers, they cared not to waste time that ■Would be necessary fora siege, so they had desisted from their efforts to make captives of the woman and children. - >*'Come;'' said the savage, laying his hand on his captive's shoulder ; and Dick, who, had felt his heart rise that his loved ones .were left behind, went almost cheerfully into the forest in which the shadows of night were. already beginning to gather, casting- only one backward glance at his home, to " wonder when he would see ifc again. Then he resolutely put his face forward for the fate the future had in ,stdrefor him. That future might be a kmg captivity, or it might be death; yet as he walked amid his captors and the shadows grew deeper about him, a hope was in his heart that he might escape perhaps before the sun should rise on the morrow.- . .-;. That night was a long and weary one to the settler. Evidently they cared not to be so near to the settlement, or else they feared pursuit, and they stopped not for rest or food until the sun was an hour high the next day. Then, as if feeling secure, they made a long halt, built a fire, and one of the number shooting a deer, they cooked and made a plentiful repast. 'Thus far the savages had used him well, only taking the precaution to fasten his hands behind his back in such a manner that" he found it impossible to use them in the, least, although they had taken care that the thongs, should not cut into the flesh so as to be rendered painful. They had been very considerate of his comfort, and he determined, by appearing as cheerful as possible, to do away from their minds any thoughts that he might have of an unwillingness to accompany them, so that his chanced of escape might be, better than though their suspicions were constantly on the alert. In this manner the day passed, and with the first shades of evening they made preparation, to. encamp. A fire was built — as they seemed to consider themselves so far from the settlements that they need fear no danger from the whites — and a couple of the party soon brought in game enough; to afford them a generous supper. This took and partaken of, they all laid down to rest, Dick with a savage on either side of j him, so close that he could not stir^ without their being aware of the motion, and as an extra precaution they had r bound ! his feet together as tightly as hiS'Wrists, and the prisoner's heart began to sink within him as it had not done be- j fpVeifor he saw; no possible chance, of escape offered to him. '" ■ < A couplebf hours passed, and still Dick, tiredso long without sleep, had not closed his eyes. One after another of the savages dropped off, as he knew by their hard, regular breathing, until at last he knew that he was the only one of the group who was not asleep. Oh ! if his hands were only free, how soon he would be at liberty again ! •He pulled, upon the thongs with all his power until they- cut deep into the flesh lik"6/the keen edge of a knife ; and at last, toihis; great joy, he found that the knot that held his left hand bad slipped a little. Another strain, and it moved a little farther,- and . with another it was parted so far -asunder 1 that he pulled his hand through.- « r ■ • Theisavage lying on the left side of him moved^and he lay perfectly motionless, almost holding his breath, with hishand under him, in the same position as when confined, but the Indian only stretched himself a little,. and then was off to sleep again. Dick now to work to free his other hand ; but the knot was drawn so hard that, even with the help of the other, he found ifc impossible to do so. He remembered his pocket-knife, and that ho had given it to his boy to play with upon going out to work the afternoon of his captivity. If ihe; had; it now, how quickly he would be £ ffedtxi&ii! - 1 - ■-■ ■ -. ■ - The moon had risen, and was shining ;dfl\R©,thr<>agh; the branches of the trees, anil fee. sa^it?: rays. glittering on the blade plsl^jknife .in the belt of the savage that ha^siorecently -moved., Jfc was a desperate ttbdi^rlgkin'g^^ibiit his situation required 4espera:ts inieajuires. ; With the. utmost paut,i^|i h©. stretched out his liberated hand, lOTdL ; *SJ<^!ii;drew : - theknife from its restingplac;(p> ?she & ludianneveivstirred, and his deep breathing tojs, Dickr that he. was fleepirig sound^. A moment more and

he was lying with the cords cut from his \ limbs, with none of the savages wiser for his motions. Now came the most difficult part of the operation : to rise to his feet, and get beyond the confines of the camp fire without awaking any of hih> captors. But Dick proved equal to the emergency. Slowly, and with the utmost caution, he rose upon bis hands and knees. The snapping of a twig he knew would betray him to the watchful ears of those about him. On his feet at last, he stepped over the sleeping savage whose knife he held in his hand, and slowly approached the Indian by whose side his rifle was lying. ; That he did not mean to leave behind, as he would need it for his own protection, and to procure food with, before he would regain the settlement." Stooping down, his hand was upon it, when the savage, awakened by the slight motion he made, essayed to spring to his feet. That action cost him his life, for Dick plunged into his breast the knife he still held in his hand, and the savage fell back with a deep groan. All caution now was needless, for every savage was awakened, and snatching up his rifle, Dick sprang out into the forest, followed by a war-whoop from the lips of every red-skin.

A moment only was required to show them the situation, and to shake off the sleep that hung heavily on their eyelids. They saw their dead comrade on the ground, and caught a. glimpse of their prisoner as he sprang away. Then with another fierce war-whoop breaking from their throats, they started in pursuit. Dick's blood ran cold as he heard tho shouts that rang through the forest, and well he knew that if he again fell into their hands he need expect no mercy, for they would avenge the death of their comrade by the most fiendish of tortures. With only a few paces the start, he knew he had not much chance of escape ; but, slim as it was, he determined to make the best possible use of it. For half a mile about the same distance was kept between them, and then, in spite of all his efforts, they gained upon him, and he knew that in a few minutes more he would be in their power, unless he could manage to deceive them in some manner and get them on another track. There was little hope of his doing this, yet itwas his only chance, and he looked about for an opportunity to put it into execution. The part of the forest he was now in was very dense, so that only a fevr straggling moonbeams found their way hero and there through the tree-tops. No Indian was as yet in sight, though they were scattered on every side through the forest, trusting more to the sense of hearing than to following the trail made. A large tree lay on the ground before him, and as he passed the butt he saw there was a cavity sufficiently large for him to force his body into it. Here was the hiding-place he sought and he at once availed himself of it. Placing his rifle in before him, he forced his way in for a distance of perhaps twenty feet, where he lay perfectly quiet, though almost afraid that the beating of his heart would betray him to his enemies. Hardly was he safely ensconced, when he heard the footsteps of the Indians as they hurried by, and in a few moments they had died away, and for the first time since he had plunged the knife iuto the savage he experienced a sensation of relief. Still be knew that he could remain where he was but a few moments, until assured that they had all passed by ; for ere long they would discover their mistake, and return to look for his trail. He must emerge ; and by striking out in an opposite direction from that he had been pursuing, he hoped to elude pursuit. Five, ten minutes passed, and Dick was on the point of emerging from his hidingplace, when he was startled by the sound of a footstep above his head. An Indian was walking along towards the butt, and lie could hardly fail to see the cavity, and the signs he had made in forcing an entrance to his hiding-place, and the settler again gave way to despair, which was again augmented a moment after as the savage gave a shrill whoop to call his companions. Then he knew too well that his retreat was discovered ; but he lay perfectly quiet, hoping against his better judgment that he might escape. In a few moments he knew by the sound of feet, that the savages were all together, and he heard a consultation, not one word of which he could understand ; but he was not long left in suspense as to what they had agreed upon. He heard some at work at the entrance of the log, while others were heaping brush above him, and he knew by this that his hiding-place was discovered, and that he was to be burnt alive inside the log. To describe the terrible agony that convulsed the heart of the settler, as he became aware of the object of his enemies, is more than our pen can do. He was not afraid to die, but a death by fire is one from which the bravest would shrink. There was no chance of dying by suffocation, for the log was full of seams that admitted the air. No, death would not come to his relief until the red flames should wrap his body like a wind-ing-sheet. Hours must elapse before the flames would reach him. The tree was a resinous pine, and would burn briskly for a while on the outside, but the interior of the shell was damp, and would not catch so readily. But the torture would be only the more prolonged. Death would come at last, but not until it had been experienced, as it were, a dozen times by the unhappy man within. Higher and higher the red flames rose, as the dry brush was heaped upon the glowing pile. Like so many spirits of evil, the red demons worked at their ter-x-ible task. To avenge their comrade was grimly in their minds, and as the minutes went on, they listened for some shriek to come from the flames to delight their savage hearts. And our friend in his fiery prison, howbore he the terrible ordeal ? Already he could feel the heat, and a few moments more it would be insupportable. Once he had tried to escape from his shell, but found that the aperture had been so securely closed up that it was impossible. Death by their arrows would, he thought, have been better than by the flames, but this was denied him. Hotter and hotter it became, until at last he felt a stinging on his leg as he lay upon his side. A place had burnt through, and now the terrible torture had begun. The end was not now far away, and with thoughts of his wife and children uppermost in his breast, he waited for death. Higher and and higher rose the red flames as the savages worked steadily for the death of their victim, but it was so fated that theirs was to be accomplished first. A loud report, and then a volley of bullets came ringing through the leaves, and the five savages fell to rise no more, and the next moment a dozen of Dick's neighbours from the settlement, who had been in pursuit all the past day and night, rushed forward, and an exclamation of disappointment fell from their lips. The next moment the report of a rifle rang out as if from the very centre of the fire, startling them back apace, but the next moment one of them, who had been examining the end of the log that as yet was untouched by the fire, exclaimed : " Quick, boys !— tear away the fire !

\ He is in this log, and the red-skins were roasting him alive i" With a will the brands were scattered in the forest, and in a few moments Dick was hauled out more dead than alive, though not much burnt ; and afterwards, whenever he told his story, he always said that his rifle saved his life, the heat causing it to be discharged just at the right moment.