The Ranger; Or, The Fugitives of the BorderEllis, Edward Sylvester
General
The Ranger; Or, The Fugitives of the Border
Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Frontier and pioneer life -- Ohio -- Fiction
Rosalind tried to scream, but could not utter a sound. She seemed frozen
with terror, and only made a spasmodic movement that awoke her
companion. As soon as the latter moved, the hand was withdrawn and the
rent closed of its own accord.
"Oh!" she murmured, "did you see it?"
Her companion, more angered on account of being awakened from her sleep,
struck her a blow and commanded silence; but Rosalind could not remain
in her position, and arising and stepping softly over the sleeping form
beside her, seated herself in the center of the lodge. Here she remained
until morning, when she made the inmates understand the nature of her
nocturnal fright. All treated it lightly, and she began to entertain a
suspicion that they knew more of it than she did herself.
In the course of the day she narrated the circumstance to Pequanon,
showing him also the aperture that had been made in the lodge. He
examined it carefully, and appeared troubled about it. The marks of a
person's knee and moccasin could be seen upon the soft earth, and there
was no doubt that her life had been sought. Pequanon informed her of
something that surprised and alarmed her as much as this. Several of the
warriors, since her first appearance among them, had shown a desire to
obtain Rosalind for a wife; and although it may seem strange that she
herself was not aware of the fact, Pequanon had noticed it from the
commencement, and now for the first time warned her of it. One who
suspected that he should be disappointed, had taken the means to procure
the revenge that we have mentioned. Ever after this Pequanon remained in
the lodge during the night, and Rosalind was careful to keep at a safe
distance from the sides of it.
She saw in the fact that he had given her, the cause of the hatred upon
the part of the females toward her. They had seen the favor with which
she was regarded by numbers of the warriors, and were filled with
jealousy at it. From them she had as much to fear as from the Indians
who wished to obtain her.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RESCUE.
Rosalind was a good distance from the Ohio, and consequently a long way
was to be traveled by Kent and Leslie. During the first night of their
journey, a bright moon favored them, and they continued on without
halting until morning. The hunter struck the trail at an early hour in
the day, and the two continued their pursuit with renewed ardor until
the sun was high in the heavens, when they halted for rest.
When they finally halted, it was on the banks of Big Sandy, at the point
where the West Fork unites with it. Here they discovered signs of the
encampment of a large body of Indians. Leslie felt hope increase, and
was impatient to pursue their way. They judged it best--or rather Kent
judged it best--to remain in their present position, and follow the
trail only during the day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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