Thrilling adventures among the early settlers, embracing desperate encounters with Indians, Tories, and refugees; daring exploits of Texan rangers and others .. . im untilmidnight, yelling and screaming in their usual frantic manner, strik-ing him with switches, and slapping him with the palms of theirhands. He expected every moment to undergo the torture of fire,but that was reserved for another time. They wished to prolongthe pleasure of tormenting him as much as possible, and after havingcaused him to anticipate the bitterness of death, until a late hour ofthe night, they released him from
Thrilling adventures among the early settlers, embracing desperate encounters with Indians, Tories, and refugees; daring exploits of Texan rangers and others .. . im untilmidnight, yelling and screaming in their usual frantic manner, strik-ing him with switches, and slapping him with the palms of theirhands. He expected every moment to undergo the torture of fire,but that was reserved for another time. They wished to prolongthe pleasure of tormenting him as much as possible, and after havingcaused him to anticipate the bitterness of death, until a late hour ofthe night, they released him from the stake and conveyed him to thevillage. Early in the morning he beheld the scalp of Montgomery stretchedupon a hoop, and drying in the air, before the door of one of theirprincipal houses. He wasquickly led out and ordered yvto run the gauntlet. A rowof boys, women, and men,extended to the distance ofa quarter of a mile. At t]the starting place, stood s^two grim looking warriors, hwith butcher knives in ^fil^Cjr- their hands; at the ex- tremity of the line, was an Indian beating a drum ; and a few paces beyond the drum, was the door of the council RUNNING THE GAUNTLET. 202 ADVENTURES OF SIMON KENTON. Clubs, switches, hoe-haDdles, and tomahawks were brandishedalong the whole line, causing the sweat involuntarily to stream fromhis pores, at the idea of the discipline which his naked skin was toreceive during the race. The moment for starting arrived; the great drum at the door ofthe council house was struck; and Kenton sprung forward in therace. Kenton avoided the row of his enemies, and turning to theeast, drew the whole party in pursuit of him. He doubled severaltimes with great activity, and at length observing an opening,darted through it, and pressed forward to the council house with arapidity which left his pursuers far behind. One or two of the In-dians succeeded in throwing themselves between him and the goal,and from these alone he received a few blows, but was
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectfrontierandpioneerli
