University of Virginia Library

19. EDGAR HUNTLY.
CHAPTER XVIII.

Think not that I relate these
things with exultation or tranquility. All
my education and the habits of my life
tended to unfit me for a contest and a
scene like this. But I was not governed
by the soul which usually regulates my
conduct. I had imbibed from the unparalleled
events which had lately happened
a spirit vengeful, unrelenting, and ferocious.

There was now an interval for flight.
Throwing my weapons away, I might
gain the thicket in a moment. I had no
ammunition, nor would time be afforded

me to re-load my piece. My antagonist
would render my poniard and my speed
of no use to me. Should he miss me as
I fled, the girl would remain to expiate,
by her agonies and death, the fate of his
companions.

These thoughts passed through my
mind in a shorter time than is demanded
to express them. They yielded to an expedient
suggested by the sight of the gun
that had been raised to destroy the girl,
and which now lay upon the ground. I
am not large of bone, but am not deficient
in agility and strength. All that
remained to me of these qualities was
now exerted; and dropping my own piece,
I leaped upon the bank, and flew to seize
my prize.

It was not till I snatched it from the
ground, that the propriety of regaining
my former post, rushed upon my apprehension.

He that was still posted in the
hovel would mark me through the seams
of the wall, and render my destruction
sure. I once more ran towards the bank,
with the intention to throw myself below
it. All this was performed in an instant;
but my vigilant foe was aware of his
advantage, and fired through an opening
between the logs. The bullet grazed
my cheek, and produced a benumbing
sensation that made me instantly fall to
the earth. Though bereaved of strength,
and fraught with the belief that I had
received a mortal wound, my caution
was not remitted. I loosened not my
grasp of the gun, and the posture into
which I accidentally fell enabled me to
keep an eye upon the house and an hand
upon the trigger. Perceiving my condition,
the savage rushed from his covert
in order to complete his work; but at
three steps from the threshold, he received
my bullet in his breast. The uplifted
tom-hawk fell from his hand, and, uttering
a loud shriek, he fell upon the body
of his companion. His cries struck upon
my heart, and I wished that his better
fortune had cast this evil from him upon
me.

Thus I have told thee a bloody
and disastrous tale. When thou reflectest
on the mildness of my habits, my
antipathy to scenes of violence and bloodshed,
my unacquaintance with the use
of fire-arms, and the motives of a soldier,
thou wilt scarcely allow credit to my
story. That one rushing into these
dangers, unfurnished with stratagems or
weapons, disheartened and enfeebled by
hardships and pain, should subdue four
antagonists, trained from their infancy
to the artifices and exertions of Indian
warfare, will seem the vision of fancy,
rather than the lesson of truth.

I lifted my head from the ground
and pondered upon this scene. The
magnitude of this exploit made me
question its reality. By attending to my
own sensations, I discovered that I had
received no wound, or at least, none of
which there was reason to complain.
The blood flowed plentifully from my
cheek, but the injury was superficial. It
was otherwise with my antagonists. The
last that had fallen now ceased to groan.
Their huge limbs, inured to combat
and war-worn, were useless to their own
defence, and to the injury of others.

The destruction that I witnessed was
vast. Three beings, full of energy and
heroism, endowed with minds strenuous
and lofty, poured out their lives before
me. I was the instrument of their
destruction. This scene of carnage and
blood was laid by me. To this havock

and horror was I led by such rapid footsteps!

My anguish was mingled with astonishment.
In spite of the force and uniformity
with which my senses were
impressed by external objects, the transition
I had undergone was so wild and
inexplicable; all that I had performed;
all that I had witnessed since my egress
from the pit, were so contradictory to
precedent events, that I still clung to the
belief that my thoughts were confused by
delirium. From these reveries I was at
length recalled by the groans of the girl,
who lay near me on the ground.

I went to her and endeavoured to
console her. I found that while lying
in the bed, she had received a blow
upon the side, which was still productive
of acute pain. She was unable to rise
or to walk, and it was plain that one or

more of her ribs had been fractured by
the blow.

I knew not what means to devise
for our mutual relief. It was possible
that the nearest dwelling was many
leagues distant. I knew not in what
direction to go in order to find it, and
my strength would not suffice to carry
my wounded companion thither in my
arms. There was no expedient but to
remain in this field of blood till the
morning.

I had scarcely formed this resolution
before the report of a musquet was heard
at a small distance. At the same moment,
I distinctly heard the whistling of
a bullet near me. I now remembered
that of the five Indians whom I saw in
the cavern, I was acquainted with the
destiny only of four. The fifth might
be still alive, and fortune might reserve
for him the task of avenging his companions.

His steps might now be tending
hither in search of them.

The musquet belonging to him who
was shot upon the threshold, was still
charged. It was discreet to make all
the provision in my power against
danger. I possessed myself of this gun,
and seating myself on the ground, looked
carefully on all sides, to descry the
aproach of the enemy. I listened with
breathless eagerness.

Presently voices were heard. They
ascended from that part of the thicket
from which my view was intercepted by
the cottage. These voices had something
in them that bespoke them to
belong to friends and countrymen. As
yet I was unable to distinguish words.

Presently my eye was attracted to
one quarter, by a sound as of feet trampling
down bushes. Several heads were
seen moving in succession, and at length,

the whole person was conspicuous. One
after another leaped over a kind of
mound which bordered the field, and
made towards the spot where I sat.
This band was composed of ten or
twelve persons, with each a gun upon
his shoulder. Their guise, the moment
it was perceived, dissipated all my apprehensions.

They came within the distance of
a few paces before they discovered me.
One stopped, and bespeaking the attention
of his followers, called to know
who was there? I answered that I was
a friend, who intreated their assistance.
I shall not paint their astonishment when,
on coming nearer, they beheld me surrounded
by the arms and dead bodies
of my enemies.

I sat upon the ground, supporting
my head with my left hand, and resting
on my knee the stock of an heavy musquet.

My countenance was wan and
haggard, my neck and bosom were died
in blood, and my limbs, almost stripped
by the brambles of their slender covering,
were lacerated by a thousand
wounds. Three savages, two of whom
were steeped in gore, lay at a small distance,
with the traces of recent life on
their visages. Hard by was the girl,
venting her anguish in the deepest
groans, and intreating relief from the
new comers.

One of the company, on approaching
the girl, betrayed the utmost perturbation.
“Good God!” he cried, “is
this a dream? Can it be you? Speak!”

“Ah, my father! my father!”
answered she, “it is I indeed.”

The company, attracted by this
dialogue, crowded round the girl, whom
her father, clasping in his arms, lifted
from the ground, and pressed, in a

transport of joy to his breast. This
delight was succeeded by solicitude
respecting her condition. She could
only answer his inquiries by complaining
that her side was bruised to pieces.
How came you here?... Who hurt you?
... Where did the Indians carry you?
were questions to which she could make
no reply but by sobs and plaints.

My own calamities were forgotten
in contemplating the fondness and compassion
of the man for his child. I
derived new joy from reflecting that I
had not abandoned her, and that she
owed her preservation to my efforts.
The inquiries which the girl was unable
to answer, were now put to me. Every
one interrogated who I was, whence I
had come, and what had given rise to
this bloody contest.

I was not willing to expatiate on my
story. The spirit which had hitherto

sustained me, began now to subside.
My strength ebbed away with my blood.
Tremors, lassitude, and deadly cold,
invaded me, and I fainted on the
ground.

Such is the capricious constitution of
the human mind. While dangers were
at hand, while my life was to be preserved
only by zeal and vigilance, and
courage, I was not wanting to myself.
Had my perils continued or even multiplied,
no doubt my energies would
have kept equal pace with them, but
the moment that I was encompassed by
protectors, and placed in security, I grew
powerless and faint. My weakness
was proportioned to the duration and
intensity of my previous efforts, and the
swoon into which I now sunk, was no
doubt, mistaken by the spectators, for
death.

On recovering from this swoon, my
sensations were not unlike those which
I had experienced on awaking in the
pit. For a moment a mistiness involved
every object, and I was able to distinguish
nothing. My sight, by rapid
degrees, was restored, my painful dizziness
was banished, and I surveyed
the scene before me with anxiety and
wonder.

I found myself stretched upon the
ground. I perceived the cottage and
the neighbouring thicket, illuminated
by a declining moon. My head rested
upon something, which, on turning to
examine, I found to be one of the slain
Indians. The other two remained upon
the earth at a small distance, and in
the attitudes in which they had fallen.
Their arms, the wounded girl, and the
troop who were near me when I fainted,
were gone.

My head had reposed upon the
breast of him whom I had shot in this
part of his body. The blood had ceased
to ooze from the wound, but my dishevelled
locks were matted and steeped
in that gore which had overflowed and
choaked up the orifice. I started from
this detestable pillow, and regained my
feet.

I did not suddenly recall what had
lately passed, or comprehend the nature
of my situation. At length, however,
late events were recollected.

That I should be abandoned in this
forlorn state by these men, seemed to
argue a degree of cowardice or cruelty,
of which I should have thought them
incapable. Presently, however, I reflected
that appearances might have easily
misled them into a belief of my death:
on this supposition, to have carried me

away, or to have stayed beside me,
would be useless. Other enemies might
be abroad, or their families, now that
their fears were somewhat tranquilized,
might require their presence and protection.

I went into the cottage. The fire still
burned, and afforded me a genial warmth.
I sat before it and began to ruminate
on the state to which I was reduced, and
on the measures I should next pursue.
Day-light could not be very distant.
Should I remain in this hovel till the
morning, or immediately resume my
journey? I was feeble, indeed, but by
remaining here should I not increase
my feebleness? The sooner I should
gain some human habitation the better;
whereas watchfulness and hunger would
render me, at each minute, less able to
proceed than on the former.

This spot might be visited on the
next day; but this was involved in uncertainty.
The visitants, should any come,
would come merely to examine and bury
the dead, and bring with them neither
the clothing nor the food which my
necessities demanded. The road was
sufficiently discernible, and would, unavoidably,
conduct me to some dwelling.
I determined, therefore, to set out without
delay. Even in this state I was not
unmindful that my safety might require
the precaution of being armed. Besides
the fusil, which had been given me by
Sarsefield, and which I had so unexpectedly
recovered, had lost none of its value
in my eyes. I hoped that it had escaped
the search of the troop who had been
here, and still lay below the bank, in the
spot where I had dropped it.

In this hope I was not deceived. It
was found. I possessed myself of the

powder and shot belonging to one of
the savages, and loaded it. Thus equipped
for defence, I regained the road,
and proceeded, with alacrity, on my
way. For the wound in my cheek,
nature had provided a styptic, but the
soreness was extreme, and I thought of
no remedy but water, with which I
might wash away the blood. My thirst
likewise incommoded me, and I looked
with eagerness for the traces of a spring.
In a soil like that of the wilderness
around me, nothing was less to be
expected than to light upon water. In
this respect, however, my destiny was
propitious. I quickly perceived water
in the ruts. It trickled hither from the
thicket on one side, and, pursuing it
among the bushes, I reached the bubbling
source. Though scanty and brackish,
it afforded me unspeakable refreshment.

Thou wilt think, perhaps, that my
perils were now at an end; that the blood
I had already shed was sufficient for my
safety. I fervently hoped that no new
exigence would occur, compelling me to
use the arms that I bore in my own defence.
I formed a sort of resolution to
shun the contest with a new enemy,
almost at the expense of my own life. I
was satiated and gorged with slaughter,
and thought upon a new act of destruction
with abhorrence and loathing.

But though I dreaded to encounter
a new enemy, I was sensible that an
enemy might possibly be at hand. I
had moved forward with caution, and
my sight and hearing were attentive to the
slightest tokens. Other troops, besides
that which I encountered, might be hovering
near, and of that troop, I remembered
that one at least had survived.

The gratification which the spring
had afforded me was so great, that I was
in no haste to depart. I lay upon a rock,
which chanced to be shaded by a tree
behind me. From this post I could
overlook the road to some distance, and,
at the same time, be shaded from the
observation of others.

My eye was now caught by movements
which appeared like those of a
beast. In different circumstances, I
should have instantly supposed it to be
a wolf, or panther, or bear. Now my
suspicions were alive on a different
account, and my startled fancy figured
to itself nothing but an human adversary.

A thicket was on either side of the
road. That opposite to my station was
discontinued at a small distance by the
cultivated field. The road continued
along this field, bounded by the thicket

on the one side, and the open space on
the other. To this space the being who
was now descried was cautiously approaching.

He moved upon all fours, and presently
came near enough to be distinguished.
His disfigured limbs, pendants
from his ears and nose, and his shorn
locks, were indubitable indications of a
savage. Occasionally he reared himself
above the bushes, and scanned, with
suspicious vigilance, the cottage and the
space surrounding it. Then he stooped,
and crept along as before.

I was at no loss to interpret these
appearances. This was my surviving
enemy. He was unacquainted with the
fate of his associates, and was now approaching
the theatre of carnage, to ascertain
their fate.

Once more was the advantage afforded
me. From this spot might unerring aim

be taken, and the last of this hostile troop
be made to share the fate of the rest.
Should I fire or suffer him to pass in
safety?

My abhorrence of bloodshed was not
abated. But I had not foreseen this
occurrence. My success hitherto had
seemed to depend upon a combination
of fortunate incidents, which could not
be expected again to take place; but now
was I invested with the same power.
The mark was near; nothing obstructed
or delayed; I incurred no danger, and
the event was certain.

Why should he be suffered to live?
He came hither to murder and despoil
my friends; this work he has, no doubt,
performed. Nay, has he not borne his
part in the destruction of my uncle and
my sisters? He will live only to pursue
the same sanguinary trade; to drink the
blood and exult in the laments of his

unhappy foes, and of my own brethren.
Fate has reserved him for a bloody and
violent death. For how long a time
soever it may be deferred, it is thus that
his career will inevitably terminate.

Should he be spared, he will still
roam in the wilderness, and I may again
be fated to encounter him. Then our
mutual situation may be widely different,
and the advantage I now possess
may be his.

While hastily revolving these thoughts
I was thoroughly aware that one event
might take place which would render all
deliberation useless. Should he spy me
where I lay, my fluctuations must end.
My safety would indispensably require
me to shoot. This persuasion made
me keep a stedfast eye upon his motions,
and be prepared to anticipate his
assault.

It now most seasonably occurred to
me that one essential duty remained to
be performed. One operation, without
which fire arms are useless, had been
unaccountably omitted. My piece was
uncocked. I did not reflect that in moving
the spring, a sound would necessarily
be produced, sufficient to alarm him.
But I knew that the chances of escaping
his notice, should I be perfectly mute and
still, were extremely slender, and that, in
such a case, his movements would be
quicker than the light; it behoved me,
therefore, to repair my omission.

The sound struck him with alarm.
He turned and darted at me an inquiring
glance. I saw that forbearance was no
longer in my power; but my heart sunk
while I complied with what may surely
be deemed an indispensable necessity.
This faltering, perhaps it was, that made
me swerve somewhat from the fatal line.

He was disabled by the wound, but not
killed.

He lost all power of resistance, and
was, therefore, no longer to be dreaded.
He rolled upon the ground, uttering
doleful shrieks, and throwing his limbs
into those contorsions which bespeak the
keenest agonies to which ill-fated man
is subject. Horror, and compassion, and
remorse, were mingled into one sentiment,
and took possession of my heart.
To shut out this spectacle, I withdrew
from the spot, but I stopped before I
had moved beyond hearing of his cries.

The impulse that drove me from the
scene was pusillanimous and cowardly.
The past, however deplorable, could not
be recalled; but could not I afford some
relief to this wretch? Could not I, at
least, bring his pangs to a speedy close?
Thus he might continue, writhing and
calling upon death for hours. Why

should his miseries be uselessly prolonged?

There was but one way to end them.
To kill him outright, was the dictate of
compassion and of duty. I hastily returned,
and once more levelled my piece
at his head. It was a loathsome obligation,
and was performed with unconquerable
reluctance. Thus to assault
and to mangle the body of an enemy,
already prostrate and powerless, was an
act worthy of abhorrence; yet it was, in
this case, prescribed by pity.

My faltering hand rendered this second
bullet ineffectual. One expedient,
still more detestable, remained. Having
gone thus far, it would have been inhuman
to stop short. His heart might easily
be pierced by the bayonet, and his struggles
would cease.

This task of cruel lenity was at
length finished. I dropped the weapon

and threw myself on the ground, overpowered
by the horrors of this scene.
Such are the deeds which perverse nature
compels thousands of rational beings to
perform and to witness! Such is the spectacle,
endlessly prolonged and diversified,
which is exhibited in every field of
battle; of which, habit and example, the
temptations of gain, and the illusions of
honour, will make us, not reluctant or
indifferent, but zealous and delighted
actors and beholders!

Thus, by a series of events impossible
to be computed or foreseen, was the
destruction of a band, selected from their
fellows for an arduous enterprise, distinguished
by prowess and skill, and equally
armed against surprize and force, completed
by the hand of a boy, uninured to
hostility, unprovided with arms, precipitate
and timerous! I have noted men

who seemed born for no end but by
their achievements to belie experience,
and baffle foresight, and outstrip belief.
Would to God that I had not deserved
to be numbered among these! But what
power was it that called me from the sleep
of death, just in time to escape the merciless
knife of this enemy? Had my
swoon continued till he had reached the
spot, he would have effectuated my death
by new wounds and torn away the skin
from my brows. Such are the subtile
threads on which hangs the fate of man
and of the universe!

While engaged in these reflections, I
perceived that the moon-light had began
to fade before that of the sun. A dusky
and reddish hue spread itself over the
east. Cheered by this appearance, I once
more resumed my feet and the road. I
left the savage where he lay, but made
prize of his tom-hawk. I had left my

own in the cavern; and this weapon
added little to my burden. Prompted
by some freak of fancy, I stuck his musquet
in the ground, and left it standing
upright in the middle of the road.