. Old Ironsides, the hero of Tripoli and 1812, and other tales and adventures on sea and land . ary, to say the least, and. </ ~ i/ after a short pause, he continued advancing withhis animal on a walk. His approach grew themore hesitating as he neared the building, and hefinally paused while still several hundred yardsdistant. The settler had been led forward by a growingcuriosity, such as sometimes draws a person towhat he knows is a grave peril; but the cause ofthe sudden firing was so unaccountable, that he re-solved to go still further and learn its explanation. He had not yet caught th
. Old Ironsides, the hero of Tripoli and 1812, and other tales and adventures on sea and land . ary, to say the least, and. </ ~ i/ after a short pause, he continued advancing withhis animal on a walk. His approach grew themore hesitating as he neared the building, and hefinally paused while still several hundred yardsdistant. The settler had been led forward by a growingcuriosity, such as sometimes draws a person towhat he knows is a grave peril; but the cause ofthe sudden firing was so unaccountable, that he re-solved to go still further and learn its explanation. He had not yet caught the first sign of lifeabout the home of his friends. There were nodomestic animals in sight, and it was impossibleto tell whether they had been driven off by ma-rauders or frightened into a flight to the hills. It was hard to understand how, if the Indianshad attacked the settlers and compelled them toiiy, they had not fired the buildings. The rule atsuch times is to burn everything, and yet not theslightest harm had been done in that direction. Rossmore loudly hailed his neighbors, but there. 44 OLD IRONSIDES. was no response. Finally he ventured closer,though with greatest caution, for he was in contin-ual dread that some of the red men were in hid-ing, and only waiting for him to come withinreach of their rifles. But nothing of the kind occurred, and the aston-ishing fact was soon manifest that not a livingperson besides himself was in the home had been abandoned, but there was nosign of those who had compelled them to abandonit, nor had the raiders left any evidence of theirvisit. Still there was more than enough to disturbRossmore, who determined to remove his familywithout delay to the fort. He could no longerdoubt that hostiles were in the vicinity, and hisown home was certain to receive a visit. His mare struck an easy gallop and was quitenear the wooded tract through which the creekwound its way, when she dropped abruptly to awalk, threw up her head and
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