Tales, Traditions and Romance of Border and Revolutionary Times — John Shaqi
Tales, Traditions and Romance of Border and Revolutionary TimesEllis, Edward Sylvester
History
Tales, Traditions and Romance of Border and Revolutionary Times
Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Frontier and pioneer life -- United States -- Anecdotes; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Anecdotes
another rope about his thighs, securing it to the one which served as a
girth. They then fastened a pair of moccasins upon his hands to prevent
his defending his face. During the time they were thus preparing him for
his Mazeppa-like ride, they taunted him by asking if he wanted to steal
any more horses. They danced around him, yelped and screamed, and, in
every possible manner, expressed their infernal delight at the
anticipated sufferings of their victim. The heart of Simon Kenton seldom
quailed before any danger; but it must have been supernaturally
strengthened not to have sickened during those moments of preparation
and anticipation. To be bound to unspoken torture, which could end, at
the last, only in death—death long deferred, perhaps into hours and
days, whose every minute and second would be sharp with anguish—to be so
helpless to resist the evils which were sure to come, with the close
rope strangling the breath in his throat whenever he attempted to raise
his head to see the cruelties which he _felt_—to add all the mental
miseries of suspense to the horrible realities before him—this was
enough surely to shake even the sturdy spirit of the defiant pioneer.
For a moment he was inclined to beg of his tormentors to tomahawk him
then and there; but he knew that such an appeal would gratify their
malice while it would produce no other effect; and he closed his lips
tightly, resolved that they should enjoy no sign of fear or dismay to
enhance their inhuman delight. One glance at the blue sky smiling down
between the lightly-waving branches of the trees—one scornful look into
the demon-faces about him, and, for an instant, his eyes closed; he felt
like one falling from a precipice into terrific depths yawning to
receive him.
With stripes and demoniac yells they at length turned loose the almost
savage horse, which was goaded to desperation by the tumult and the
blows. The infuriated beast at once bounded away on its aimless, erratic
course, anxious only to rid itself of its strange burden.
"'Twas scarcely yet the break of day,
And on he foamed—away!—away!—
The last of human sounds which rose,
As he was darted from his foes,
Was the wild shout of savage laughter
Which on the wind came roaring after."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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