. Our pioneer heroes and their daring deeds . f. ]^ot many dayshad passed before he again sent for the .commander. Ive never been used to keeping so close in the house, and Icannot live much longer shut up here without exercise, he com-plained. Accordingly, the guard was ordered to knock the fetters off,leaving only the handcuffs, and to permit him to walk about onthe point at the mouth of the Muskingum. Loosed from the fet-ters, that had weighed on his heart no less heavily than on hislimbs, and breathing the free air of heaven once more, he frol-icked about like a young deer released from a
. Our pioneer heroes and their daring deeds . f. ]^ot many dayshad passed before he again sent for the .commander. Ive never been used to keeping so close in the house, and Icannot live much longer shut up here without exercise, he com-plained. Accordingly, the guard was ordered to knock the fetters off,leaving only the handcuffs, and to permit him to walk about onthe point at the mouth of the Muskingum. Loosed from the fet-ters, that had weighed on his heart no less heavily than on hislimbs, and breathing the free air of heaven once more, he frol-icked about like a young deer released from a trap. Startingsuddenly away from them, as if to escape, he would run a fewyards and then return to the guards that accompanied him out-side the fort. This was repeated several times, the distance oneach run being a little greater, until, his guards having becomeused to it, he ran nearly a hundred yards before they discovered thb WETZELSL 265 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^:^^^^^SS«««^S4%^# V// ?/??//////////////////////;. WETZEL 8 ESCAPE PROM THE GUARD. 256 THE WETZELS. that he was really attempting to escape. They fired, but missedtheir aim, and he soon outran those pursuing him. He knew the country well, and could thus readily elude theless skilled woodsmen. Making for a dense thicket two or threemiles from the fort, he squeezed under a log, and lay there cov-ered by the thick brush, safe from discovery, even when twokeen-eyed Indians stood upon the log under which he lay. Gradu-ally the footsteps of his pursuers died away, their cries were lostin the distance, and as night came on, he found himself alone inthe thicket. But on this side of the Ohio, he had no friend onwhom he could rely, and, handcuffed as he was, he could notswim across it. Creeping cautiously down to the river, he saw,at the opposite side, an acquaintance in a canoe, fishing. Gentlysplashing in the water, he succeeded in gaining this mans atten-tion, and was by him ferried ever the river. Once on the Y
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectindiansofnorthamerica, bookyear1887
