The sunny South. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1875-1907, December 04, 1875, Image 6
established quarters in one of its secret eham-
J bers. We slept in the cave during the day, and
j at night came out and took the open air.
| Thus \re passed the first three days and nights,
i On the fourth day, a messenger came from
Black Watt and informed us that neither of the
wounded men had died, but that great excite
ment existed, and that several Indian scouts
were searching for us. One of these had been
at Black Watt’s and admitted they had been of
fered large rewards by the Unakas (white men)
to bring in the refugees dead or alive. We were
therefore admonished to keep close until further
notice.
After the messenger had departed, I observed
a serious expression on the countenance of Se
quoyah. After the manner of his race, he be
trayed by a moody silence rather than by words
that something troubled him. It was not until
I had made several efforts to draw him out that
he gave vent to his feelings in words like the fol
lowing:
“No like Walegah (the messenger). He hate
Sequoyah. He no friend — he snake in the
grass. ”
Upon further inquiry, I ascertained there was
unpleasantness between them concerning Oolat-
tie, a squaw no doubt beautiful, as the name in the
Indian dialect is that of “ creeping lily,” known
among our flora as “morning glory.” Knowing
the treachery of the Indian character, I felt that
there was indeed cause for the grave apprehen
sions of my Indian companion, and that pru
dence demanded a change of programme on our
part, and that speedily. But daylight was al
ready dawning, and it would be very hazardous
to expose ourselves without; and as we desired
to communicate with Black Watt upon the change
of plans, it was concluded, not without serious
misgivings, that we would remain until night,
and then, under cover of darkness, steal out and
go to Black Watt’s and arrange for our escape
from the nation. It was agreed that one of us
, should keep a careful lookout through the day
Many years ago, Major John Seaborne, an ad- i from a concealed position at the mouth of the
venturous pioneer in the early settlement of j cave, so that we might not be surprised or cap-
[For The Sunny South.]
MY FLOWER.
BY H. E. SHIPLEY.
An exotic I tended,—
Its frail life defended
From excess of sunshine or shower;
Its leaflets unfolding,
Filled my heart in beholding
With joy and pride in my beautiful flower.
But the gardener Death—
Tho' with tenderest breath—
Claimed my bud for the heavenly bower;
From the nursery here,
Spite of prayer and tear,
Transplanted my beautiful flower.
Now, in Bunshine eternal,
'Mid fields ever vernal,
’Neath skies whose clouds never lower,
Safe from danger or blight—
Oh, exquisitely bright!—
Blooms my flower—my beautiful flower.
When to heaven remanded,
My soul shall be banded
With my loved, freed from Death’s mystic pow’r,
Aly bud, early taken,
A deep rapture shall waken
As a beautiful, immortal flower.
[For The Sunny South.]
A FIGHT UNDERGROUND;
OB,
A STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.
A TRUE INCIDENT OF UPrER GEORGIA.
BY B. C. W., 11. D.
Cherokee, Georgia, related to the writer a num
ber of interesting incidents connected with his
life among the Cherokee Indians. One of these,
detailing his “ Terrible Conflict” with the cele
brated savage, George Took, was published
about two years ago. In that narration, refer-
tured unawares.
The day had well progressed, and it was not
until about three o’clock in the afternoon that a
low, keen whistle from my Indian friend ap
prised me of danger. The alarm was quickly
followed by the presence of the sentinel, who in-
ence was made to a large cave in the southwest | formed me that he had seen three Indian scouts
portion of what is now known as Bartow county,
Georgia. We well remember the facts of another
adventure narrated by him as occurring in the
same county, and in which this same cave plays
an important part
On one occasion, said he, when engaged in a
hunt with a friendly half-breed by the name of
George Guess, called by the Indians Sequoyah,
night overtook us at a point on the north side
of the Etowah river, in the vicinity of a large and
beautiful ancient mound, near where the main
trail from Alabama crossed, which came from
the white settlements into the nation. Within
about two hundred yards of the mound was an
Indian hut, at which we sought shelter for the
night. We found at this cabin a number of ruf
fians who, by the free use of “ fire-water ” (whis
ky) and presents, had ingratiated themselves
with the savages in that locality. These men
were not disposed to allow us to spend the night
with them, saying that they were already crowd
ed, and that we must find other quarters. The
night being wet and stormy, I could not regard
this refusal on the part of these men otherwise
than as very unkind, and even insulting—the
more so that they were themselves lodgers and
not proprietors of the house. Being then young,
bold and reckless, I protested at once against
this treatment, and gave vent to my feelings in
no very mild or measured terms; whereupon, a
man by the name of Leathers, who afterwards
became notorious as a leader of a gang of horse-
thieves, spoke very insultingly to me, but took
care to keep well back amongst the ruffian crowd,
not choosing to measure strength with me. I
was then a stout, active young man, accustomed
to perilous adventure anu reckless of danger.
I was well armed, and so was Sequoyah, my
Indian comrade. At this juncture, my compan
ion beckoned me aside, and judiciously re
marked:
“ Too many white braves—Indian too much
drunk; let us go.”
But before I had time to reply or to act upon
this suggestion, a large, bushy-whiskered man
by the name of Beeves came to the door and
commenced cursing us. I measured him with
my eye. He was a powerful fellow, and carried
a large pistol at his side. He closed his tirade
of abuse in words to this effect, addressed to my
Indian friend, whose talk he had overheard:
“Yery sound advice, my young red-skin. We
have no room for you, much less for Jack Sea
borne; he is not of our sort.”
Fired with passion, I retorted:
“What have I done to you, you infernal horse-
thief, scoundrel, ruffian?” at the same instant,
drawing my pistol.
Beeves sprang behind the door-post, and !
reaching his arm around, fired at but missed me.
I rushed upon him, but before I could reach
him, he fell back amidst the party within, curs- j
ing, raving and calling for vengeance upon me, j
saying I had shot at the crowd. The whole ruf- !
fian gang, Indians and all, then came rushing
toward us with yells and whoops. I stood at
bay with pistol drawn, and defied them all, dar
ing them to send out Beeves and Leathers, and
we would thrash them on the spot. At this in
stant, Leathers came forward and fired a shot,
which grazed and burnt the skin on my left
shoulder. I instantly returned the fire, as the
crowd jumped aside. My shot wounded him
severely, and he staggered into the cabin and
crawled out of view. The whole gang, number
ing five or six desperate white men, and not less
than a dozen savages with tomahawks, now
rushed upon us. I knocked down Beeves with
the butt end of my pistol, while my Indian com
rade fired his pistol, wounding one of the whites
and floored a savage with his tomahawk. But
they still pressed upon us, and fired several
shots, fortunately missing their aim. It was ev
ident we must retreat or be overpowered. I
called out to my Indian friend to save himself
as best he could, and we both retreated to the
woods, he in one direction and I in another. It
was already dark, and the pursuers followed but
a short distance.
About twelve miles west of the mound alluded
to on Two-run creek (Toorunnah or perch, a
fish in which this creek abounds), there resided
a man of some celebrity in the nation, by the
name of Black Watt Adair. He had married a
woman of mixed blood, and had long resided
among the Indians. Sequoyah was very intimate
with this family, and I had often sojourned with
them in my travels through the nation. There
had been no time or opportunity for us to agree
upon a place of rendezvous, but each naturally
directed his way to Adair’s, and arrived near the
same hour of the night, probably about twelve
o’clock, and held a council as to the course to
pursue in regard to the late trouble, for we well
knew that the ruffians would put the savages on
our track by daylight next morning. We awoke
Black Watt from his bed and advised with him.
The result was, we decided to take refuge in the
Saltpetre Cave, which was about two miles dis
tant. If attacked, it would be a strong point of
defense, and there was every probability that we
would remain secure and undiscovered. We could
stay there until the excitement died out, and
then, if necessary, could escape to the white set
tlements. In the meantime, Black Watt could
at the foot of the hill, and that they were stealth
ily approaching the mouth of the cave. We at
once prepared our arms for use and extinguished
the light in our subterranean chamber.
It was not long until the three scouts were vis
ible at the external opening, to which point,
from our position at the bottom, there was a
steep ascent of about two hundred feet. They
were evidently in great doubt as to what course
to pursue in order to discover us, as we were in
position to see them while they could not see
us. But with that cat-like motion peculiar to
the Indian, they commenced the descent along
the rocky and precipitous pathway, crawling
from point to point and concealing themselves
as best they could behind the huge boulders,
along the rugged declivity. We noticed that
one of them carried a bundle of torch-pine, in
dicating their intention to light up the cave,
and thus expose us to view; but on this point
we felt little concern, knowing that a light kin
dled by them in the pitchy darkness below
would but render them the more conspicuous
as targets for our rifles, whilst we could easily
conceal ourselves from view amid the distant
and dismal shadows within. It was not our plan
to kill or fire upon them if it could be avoided,
but, if possible, to conceai ourselves and evade
discovery, letting them depart in the belief that
we were not in the cave, and had made our exit
from it before their arrival; but if they should
unfortunately discover us, then it were better to
kill all three of them, so that they could not re
port to the outside enemy.
As they approached, we cautiously receded,
but kept tolerably close together, so as to act in
concert or assist each other in whatever emer
gency might present. They were suffered to
reach tha bottom unmolested. We kept perfectly
quiet, and so did the enemy. The death-like
stillness was only broken by that audible throb
bing of the heart so perceptible and even painful
in moments of peril and excitement. After sev
eral minutes’ delay and eager listening on the
part of the enemy, they were seen, by the feeble
light which penetrated that portion of the cav
ern, to approach each other from different points
and engage in a low, whispered conversation for
some moments. Two of them then stealthily
moved off, the one to the right, the other to the
left or larger chamber or division, the same in
which we were secreted. We knew that he was
approaching us, yet he was quickly enveloped
in darkness, and we could neither see nor hear
him. We yet remained motionless and silent,
but with pistol in hand, ready for instant use.
We were perhaps ten feet apart. My companion
was crouched behind a large rock, and I stood
behind a large stalagmite or stone column, and
hence had no fear of an accidental contact or
collision with the hidden enemy, as he must
first encounter the column, and I would thus
discover his proximity. The position of my
friend seemed scarcely less favorable, the rock j
interposing to prevent contact, though so low as
to compel him to remain in a crouched position.
We were for some moments on tiptoe of expect-
antcy and listening intently. It was evident
that they were acting upon the presumption
that we were not suspecting danger, perhaps
asleep in one of the inner chambers, and were
reconnoitering in hope of discovering us by our
camp-fire, or, if awake, to hear our conversation
and thus be enabled to slip upon us unawares
and kill or capture us. The man with the pine,
in the meanwhile, was to be ready to strike a
light at a given signal should it become
necessary to aid them in their exit or for other
purposes. The plan was well conceived, and
would in all probability have succeeded had we
not been on the alert. As it was, our knowledge
of their plan and movements placed them at
great disadvantage, and nothing but our desire
to avoid discovery seemed to prevent their easy
destruction.
How long we remained in suspense and ex
pectancy I know not, but it seemed that there
had been ample time for the reconnoitering par
ties to have satisfied themselves as to the possi
bility of making any discoveries in that way,
and I had commenced watching the place from
whence they diverged, expecting to see them
return for further conference, when suddenly I
felt that instinctive and unaccountable sense of
the near presence of another party, which, per
haps, at some period of his life, every one has
experienced. I realized a presence and felt a
touch upon my arm on the opposite side from
whence the enemy was looked for. The touch
was not with a finger, but with a hard object or
stick. I shrank back a step and presented my
pistol in that direction; but it suddenly occurred
to me that it might be Sequoyah, who had taken
this method of communicating with me for some
purpose; so I desisted, but instantly remembered
that a very low hiss had been agreed upon as a
signal by which to find each other or give warn
ing of danger. As this was not a hiss, but a
touch, it must be the enemy, who had passed us
and was now returning. As this solution of the
matter occurred to my mind, I instantly gave
the signal-hiss myself, at the same time cocking
my pistol, whereupon the Indian rushed by me
toward the outlet with a wild, shrill war-whoop
that reverberated through the dismal vaults and
keep a watch upon our adversaries, and advise ; sent back echoes as of a thousand hideous fiends
us as to what was going on.
of war let loose. With the same impulse we ,
So we supplied ourselves with provisions for . both sprang forward to the pursuit. It was at
week, blankets, ammunition, a lantern, etc. first too dark to see them, but as they all rushed '
early dawn, we reached the cave, and soon for escape toward the opening, the light from
above soon brought them in view, and we com
menced firing at them. But the ruggedness of
the pathway and the insufficiency of light inter
fered with the accuracy of our aim, and though
our rifles and pistols were emptied of every
load, all would have escaped had it not been for
the dash and courage of Sequoyah, who suc
ceeded in overtaking the hindmost one, who,
; not finding the true path, was endeavoring to
: crawl over a huge rock, when he was caught by
j my Indian friend, struck on the head with his
1 tomahawk, dragged to the bottom, and would
have been scalped had I not interfered to pre
vent This I did, not only because of an aver-
I sion I felt to that savage custom, but because,
though insensible, he was not dead; nor could
his death do us any good, now that the others
had escaped, but would add to our trouble by
j still farther heightening the flame of excitement
i and revenge against us.
The object of greatest importance to us at that
moment was to escape from the cave at once,
and to make for the white settlements with all
j possible dispatch. It was thought to be safest
to take advantage of the panic of the scouts, and
j rush out as though in pursuit. This we at-
: tempted, but had scarcely reached the open
ground above when a crack from a rifle, followed
by the war-whoop from several Indians, disclosed
the fact that we were already surrounded by a
j considerable number of infuriated savages, and
that escape was impossible. In this extremity,
I we were forced to again take refuge in the cave.
I We had no sooner done so than an overwhelm
ing sense of our desperate condition impressed
our minds; for though in the matter of defense
we were almost impregnable, we were effectually
i bagged, and must finally succumb to starvation
if not to the assaults of the enemy. What to do
in this emergency was truly a grave and perplex
ing question. Black Watt, who was in sympathy
I with the ridge party, then not in very good
odor with a majority of the natives, would not
probably attempt our rescue. It was therefore
i plain that if we escaped, it could only be by
j some rare fortuitous event for which there
j seemed no ray of hope.
During the entire day, an occasional whoop
apprized us of the arrival of others to strengthen
the forces of the enemy. Once, under cover of
| the darkness, Sequoyah approached sufficiently
[ near to hear their conversation, and learned that
their plan would be to guard the mouth of the
j cave night and day until starvation forced us to
| surrender, when we would be burned at the
j stake with a grand jubilee and dance. My In-
| dian friend seemed greatly depressed, though
he uttered no word of complaint. As for myself,
j I had been so often in desperate straits that I
| did not despair, and come what might, we re-
I solved to sell our lives dearly. I directed Se-
| quoyah to keep a careful watch at the mouth of
the cave, while I proceeded to examine the inte
rior apartments with a view to our defense
should the Indians take us by assault. I had
advanced in a torturous course, it seemed to me,
about one hundred and fifty yards, when I came
to a narrow defile which ascended rapidly for a
considerable distance, and turning abruptly,
entered a larger apartment. I at once decided
upon this as our strong-hold. By barricading
the narrow entry at the point where it made the
abrupt turn, we could easily keep off with safety
to ourselves any number of the enemy, whilst
we could keep a light within, and yet be out of
view of the approaching party. I reported the
discovery to my friend, and we at once set about
the work ,of fortifying our strong-hold. There
was an abundance of loose rock at hand of any
size desired, and we soon had the passage se
curely blocked, leaving a hole only large enough
for one man to enter, and with a large rock so
adjusted that it could in a moment’s time be
rolled against the opening thus left.
We then carried into our inner chamber the
wounded Indian, and tied him securely, think
ing he might possibly be used as a hostage in
the last extremity. We also deposited therein
| our arms, ammunition, water, supplies, etc., and
j a pole about twelve feet long, which we had
j found in the cave, and which would be useful
J as a lever in prizing rock, etc. Having thus es-
i tablished ourselves, we felt that, for a time, at
j least, we were safe. Unfortunately, our rations
I were scarcely enough for two days, and in this
: was our gravest concern.
| During the entire day, following upon our dis-
j covery by the enemy, no one ventured to enter
| the cave, but at night many came in and prowled
j about in every direction, as we dared not make
! a light Knowing that we were now on the de-
| fensive, and anxious to conceal our whereabouts,
they grew bold, and were frequently very near
! us, but we kept close, and in easy reach of our
j chosen strong-hold. On the following morning,
a large number had taken position in the first
large chamber at the bottom. We could hear
but could not see them, as they kept back be
hind the projecting rocks, and in the dark re
cesses of the huge natural vestibule there exist
ing. They tried by whoops, taunts and yells to
provoke us to reply, or to induce us to fire, that
they might definitely locate us. Failing in this,
they made a man of rags and placed it by a pile
of combustible material, which they lighted by
means of a trail of powder. I would instantly
have fired at this object if Sequoyah had not
stopped me, his better acquaintance with Indian
tricks having enabled him to detect the fraud.
Other devices were tried upon us, but as yet
without success.
When night arrived, additional numbers en
tered the cave. They grew more and more ven
turesome, and we were forced to fall back to the
very door of our fortified chamber to avoid col
lision with them. At length, they became quiet;
not a sound was heard; so much so, that it
seemed all had retired, or were wrapt in deepest
slumber. Here again the sagacity of my In
dian comrade led him to divine another trick,
and he cautioned me accordingly.
The sudden cessation of their whoops and de
moniac yells, the pitchy darkness, the profound
stillness, with a consciousness that we were sur
rounded by numbers of lurking devils in the
act of springing some deep and destructive plot
upon us, produced upon me, I confess, an im
pressive sense of impending evil, which, though
almost overwhelmingly felt, cannot well be de
scribed. Our suspense, however, was of short
duration.
Suddenly, as with a meteor’s flash, a number
of savages sprang from behind a low, projecting
arch into the large chamber, with arrows
wrapped in turpentine rags all a-blaze, which,
as they rushed across the large ante-room, they
shot from their bows, lighting up the entire area
about us, and exposing us to view. Simultane
ously, with the fire from our pieces, a number
of shots were fired at us, and fifteen or twenty j
savages, with yells of triumph, came rushing to
ward us. We had scarcely time to crawl into
our fortified chamber before they were at our ;
very heels. In the eagerness of pursuit, one of 1
their number had the temerity to attempt an en
trance after us. He was quickly dispatched
with a shot from my pistol. The yells of rage
and revenge which followed upon this were ter
rible. Then all became still again. They were
doubtless holding a council, the result of which
was an effort to pull away the rocks which we
had placed in the pathway, whereupon we gave
them another lesson which taught them exceed
ing caution thereafter, as we fired through a
crevice, and wounded seriously another one of
their party. They then determined to starve us
out, and so informed us. They even piled up
more rocks in the way, lest becoming maddened
and reckless, we should attempt the desperate
alternative of fighting our way out.
And now came our time of deep and solemn
reflection. The situation seemed truly despe
rate and hopeless. Our rations were nearly con
sumed. The air was damp and oppressive, and
i we began to feel sensibly that physical depres-
1 sion which invariably follows extraordinary
i anxiety and excitement. There was now noth
ing left us to do. So long as there was place for
action or effort, our minds were in some degree
diverted from a full realization of the situation.
But now we began to awake to the utter hope
lessness of our condition. Y\ e were bodily en
trapped, buried alive, in a deep, dark, subter
ranean vault! The wounded Indian, whom we
had hoped to make useful as a hostage, was still
insensible, and would probably die. It was
doubtful if Black Watt could Help us even if
apprized of our situation, and there was every
probability that the traitor Walegah, of whose
enmity he had no suspicion, would mislead or
j keep him ignorant as to the facts of the case. It
• could be then only a question of time as to our
I doom. Our rations were nearly all consumed,
j and there was no possible hope of returning or
I of mercy on the part of our enemies,
j As these solemn and painful reflections came
i over me from time to time, I experienced a rap-
idly increasing weakness of body and depres
sion of spirit. Regarding our death as a speedy
i and foregone conclusion, I endeavored to resign
! myself to the inevitable, and to prepare my
mind to meet the Judge of all the earth. Yet, I
could not refrain from falling into that retro
spect of life common to those who for the first
time are brought to realize that the sands of life
are nearly run down. The scenes of the past
came in rapid review before my mind. I thought
of friends far away whom I should never see
again—of a mother, kind and devoted, from
whose affectionate embrace I had, a wayward
and thoughtless youth, torn myself years ago,
and whom, alas! I should never again behold
on earth. As a young man, it was natural to re
gret so early a separation from the pleasures of
life and from the beauties of the external world.
And shall I, indeed, never again gaze upon the
azure sky, the forest, and the beautiful land
scape, or list to the music of the babbling brook?
“Seed time and harvest, winter and summer”
will come, but, alas ! nevermore for me. The
sun will shine again, but not for me. Not for
me will his “rising and level beams melt the
pale mists of morning into glittering dew-
drops.” Not for me will he brighten the earth
with his noontide glory, or dapple the clouds of
evening with his varied and gorgeous hues.
Such were the sentiments and reflections that
occupied my mind during many long, dreary,
! wretched hours. In these fits of depression, 1
would sometimes prostrate myself upon the
ground and groan in anguish of spirit. But my
Indian comrade, with that stoicism for which
his race is proverbial, sat silently and appa
rently unmoved by my side. Seeing this, I
would occasionally chide myself for weakness,
shake off the gloom that oppressed me, and walk
to and fro across our underground-chamber.
We had no means of judging of the length of
time thus occupied. Save the feeble rays from
our lamp, all around and about us was dark,
gloomy and dismal, and to our chafing and
helpless spirits, the hours seemed interminably
long. Although inured to danger and accus
tomed to perilous adventure, I had never before
experienced so great mental and physical ex
haustion as then came over me. Nor had I ever
supposed that any condition or circumstances,
however appalling, could thus have unstrung
me. In a great degree, doubtless, the lack of
nourishment in connection with the loss of
sleep, and the oppressiveness of the atmosphere
contributed to that condition, but greater than
all was the total withdrawal of that invigorating
influence which hope gives to the power and
energy of men. And to think of the thoughtless
ness, the insane folly, the madness thus to suf
fer ourselves to be entrapped, when we might
at least have died in a noble and manly conflict
for life. Were there but a single ray of hope or
chance for action, I would not repine, nor should
any cowardly impulse weaken my strong right
arm, even in the last desperate grapple of death.
Under such circumstances of mental anguish,
men have grown gray in a few hours, and oftimes
reason has been dethroned.
" There are moments in which we live years—
Moments which steal the roses from the cheek of health,
And plow deep furrows on the brow of youth.’’
But despite these oft-recurring paroxysms of
gloom and despair, I still had my rallying fits
and perambulations.
At length, in one of these walks, my attention
was directed to the fact that the chamber we
were in seemed to be terminated by a huge
rock. A sudden gleam of hope sent the blood
rushing tumultuously to my heart. What if
there should be a continuance of the cavity be
yond this rock ? Might there not be, after all,
some avenue of escape ? Even if it should re
enter the main chamber, it would be infinitely
better to lose our lives in a deadly conflict with
the savages than to be entombed alive, and to
die ingloriously by the slow and horrible tor
tures of starvation. Quick upon this thought,
I snatched up the lamp and commenced to ex
amine the ground about and beyond the rock. I
took the pole and tried, but found no cavity,
and my heart began again to sink within me. I
cast my eye around and noticed that, unlike the
other apartments, the walls were of dirt, and
there were evidences of recent caving. Then it
occurred to me that as we had reached this point
by a considerable ascent, might we not be near
the surface above. The position of the rock was
not that of permanence, but rather detached and
recent, as though it had rolled down against the
wall of the chamber. Whence came this rock ?
I examined it more carefully, and noticed on the
dirt which adhered to its surface, an impression
as of a rounded body, in which was a piece of
bark from a root. I cast my eye upward, and
there discovered an object which sent a thrill of
joy to my heart. It was an excavation, corres
ponding in size to the rock, and there across the
centre of it, was a root as large as a man’s arm,
with a piece of bark removed—the identical root
from which the rock had fallen. I suppressed,
with difficulty, an exclamation of joy, and step
ping, or rather bounding toward Sequoyah, I
grasped his arm, and we approached the rock.
I pointed to the impression on the rock, and then
to the excavation and root above. He uttered
the word “Wah !” an exclamation common to
nearly all the Indian tribes, and a perceptible
gleam of hope lit up his swarthy visage.
It was evident that the external surface was near
at hand. But how shall we penetrate the earth
above so as to escape ? was the question. I had
already formed a plan in my own mind by which I
I felt sure we might make the opening, but how :
to reach it after it was made, I was at a loss to ;
determine. To the roof above us was about four
teen feet. The rock at the bottom was about five
feet in diameter, and the pole we had brought
into the chamber with us was, as stated, about
twelve feet. We could sharpen the pole with a
tomahawk, and use it as an excavator above,
standing on the bottom as long as we could reach,
then, perhaps, finish the job by standing on the
rock.
I made known my plan to Sequoyah, to which
he uttered the single word, “Good!” and knowing
the tact and shrewdness of the Indian in plans
and devices, I asked him how we were to reach
the surface above. He remained silent a few
minutes in deep thought, and I also put my wits j
to work in an effort to solve the problem as to
the plan of escape after the perforation was .
made.
While I was yet undecided Sequoyah sprang <
to his feet, placed one end of the pole upon the j
rock and the other upon the root, and turning |
to me, remarked:
“Dig hole, high up as can, crawl up pole, get
on root, dig more high up, stand on root, make :
steps like well; make little hole, peep through; |
I dark, no come, wait; then big hole, crawl out,
, gone—ugh !'*
| I accorded with the plan, and so, the pole
being sharpened, we went to work with a hearty
■ S 00 '* We commenced a shaft directly up
ward, being fnrefnl not to weaken the root at the
place where it penetrated the earth on the side
; opposite the point of entrance. The earth
proved to be soft, and we made favorable pro
gress at the rate of perhaps a foot per hour rest-
: ing each other frequently, but keeping con
stantly at it. The root proved to be very useful
as a support upon which to slide the pole in the.
act of punching out the earth above. In two or
three hours’ time we reached a point where it.
beoame necessary to stand on the rock, and soon
my Indian friend got upon the root, sitting
! astraddle, and pushed on the work. Soon, small
r* ots and pebbles begin to appear, indicating
that the surface was near. A ram-rod was tried
as a test, and it was ascertained that we were in
one foot of the surface. We grew nervous with
excitement and hope. The excavation we had
; made was two and a half feet wide and six feet
high. Eagerly and vigorously the Indian worked
for a short while, then more cautiously. “ Hold !”
said I, for suddenly the pole pushed through
the upper crust, and a glorious beam of light
j from the external world penetrated into our dis
mal prison vault, where no ray had ever entered
' since the epoch in the uncounted ages of the
! past, when these hills were upheaved by earth’s
convulsive throes ! Never did I appreciate the
glorious light of heaven before !
“God said, ‘Let there be light !*
Grim darkness felt his might,
And fled away ;
Then startled Boas and mountains cold
Shone forth, all bright in blue and gold,
And cried, * *Tis day ! "tis day !’ ”
Such were the sentiments which, with exuber
ance of hope, came welling up from my soul, as
I gazed at the bright beam from the upper and
outer world !
It was now deemed prudent to suspend the
work until night, lest we should be discovered.
We did not know what time of day it was, nor at
what part of the mountain we were about to
make our exit. So we desisted for the present,
not venturing to enlarge the orifice, and re
clined for rest.
We had long since consumed the last ration,
but had been too intensely interested in our
work to think of eating. 'We had, however,
I drank water freely, during the last few hours,
: and were now without food or drink. We began
! to feel the pangs of hunger, but the hope of
! speedy escape served to brace us up, and we pa-
! tiently waited for the arrival of night. It seemed
! to be very long. We feared to sleep lest some-
1 thing might happen to thwart our plans. Our
Indian prisoner seemed slowli' reviving, but was
yet unable to speak. We could hear the noise
and conversation of the Indians on guard at our
prison door. They expressed the opinion that
we could not hold out longer than a day or two,
and spoke of the fun and enjoyment they would
have in burning and torturing us at the stake.
When at length we perceived by the stars that
shone through the opening above that it was
fullly dark without, Sequoyah again resumed
work, using as an excavator, "instead of the pole,
his hunting-knife. In a little while he had en
larged the opening to a size sufficient to pro
trude his head. In my impatience it seemed to
me that he was too slow, and that his Indian na
ture made him over-cautious, and I was just
about telling him to get down and let me come,
when he startled me by a low hiss of warning.
He had protruded his head, and was not only
astonished but alarmed at what he saw. There,
in twenty-five or thirty steps of the opening we
had made, was the mouth or main entrance to
the cave, and directly between ns and the mouth
was a squad of ten Indians sitting around a
camp-fire, and not exceeding twenty feet from
the perforation out of which we must escape.
That they had not detected the noise of falling
dirt, or heard our conversation, was not less
strange than fortunate. As soon as Sequoyah
made this discovery, he stuffed his hat in the
orifice and descended to my side and made
known the facts. We had now another impor
tant problem to solve, and one of no easy solu
tion. The hole must be made larger before we
could get through it. This could not be done
without noise. We must work in the dark, also,
as the light of our lamp, shining through the
opening, would be extremely liable to attract
their attention. And, even supposing the open
ing complete, it would be scarcely possible to
get out without being seen. And though it was
probable the one who first made the exit might
chance to escape by trusting to his heels, tne
remaining one would almost certainly be caught.
On the whole, we felt that the situation was ex
ceedingly critical.
After thinking over it for a considerable time,
we concluded that our most prudent course was
to wait until they should all fall asleep, as they
would probably do in a few hours at most. We
waited patiently as we could for about three
hours, when Sequoyah again ascended to recon
noitre. This he did with exceeding caution. The
Indians were still awake chatting and smoking,
and the light of their camp-fire shone plainly
around and beyond the opening we had made.
Enough of their conversation was heard to learn
that they had sent off for the relatives of the In
dians, to be present at a council to be held on
the morrow to decide upon our fate. As these
several parties were expected to arrive during
the night, it was probable that their camp-fire
would be kept burning, and that no time would
occur when all would be asleep. Under these
circumstances we felt, in no small degree, a
sense of that sickening gloom which disappoint
ment often brings to the stoutest heart.
What was to be done ? It would not do to suf
fer the night to pass without an effort at escape.
We both became silent and reflective. At length
I said to Sequoyah:
“Can you think of any scheme by which the
outside party could be drawn away from their
present position ?”
To which he answered:
“Ugh! white man idea good !”
After further conference upon this point, we
decided upon a plan, in accordance with which
Sequoyah commenced to parley with the guards
at our prison entrance relative to terms of sur
render, etc. They proposed to compromise the
death penalty so far as to let off Sequoyah with
banishment from the nation, in case the wounded
Indian was given up alive, but in case of myself,
I must suffer the torture. I thereupon offered
to give a ransom of $1000 for my life. This we
anticipated would lead to a conference of all the
braves. A few would favor it, while the friends
of the killed and wounded would be hard to sat
isfy, and a squabble and considerable delay
would result. It worked out precisely as we had
surmised. The outside party were notified of
our proposition, and a council of all the braves
called to meet in the large entrance chamber at
the bottom of the cave. This was just the thing
we wanted, and my comrade quickly ascended
to the opening, and looking out, found that all
had retired within. And now the work was
pushed with all possible vigor. The opening
was soon sufficiently enlarged; I handed up the
guns, which Sequoyah quickly pitched through
the hole, and then sprang out himself. I fol
lowed, he assisting me with his hand, and we
both cautiously, but rapidly, moved off across
the hill, and made our way with all possible dis
patch to Black Watt Adams. We arrived about
one o’clock, awoke him, and briefly told him
all.
As we had surmised, the traitor Wahlegah had
kept him wholly in the dark in regard to the
siege and desperate straits through which we had L
passed. "C