Then rifing, they proceeded through lofty
groves of pine, and open fields that feemed to
bend under the heavy hand of Ceres. At laft,
difappointment and fatigue prevailed on them
to return home, they had gone farther than
they apprehended ; but paffing along the bank
of the river within a few miles of Mr. KIT-
TLE'S, they efpied a fat doe walking fecurely
on the beach, which PETER foftly approach
ing, levelled his piece with fo good an aim that
the animal dropped inftantly at the expiofion.
This feeming fuccefs was, however, the origin
cf their calamities ; for immediately after, two
favages appeared, directed in their coiirfe by
the firing. Setting up a loud yell, they ran up
to the brothers and diicharged their fire-arms.
Mr. KITTLE ftartcdback, but PETER receiv
ed a brace of balls in his bofom. He recoiled
a few fleps back, and then funk down incom-
paffed by thofe -.leaclly horrors of which in the
morning he haJ a prefentiment. Mr. KITTLE
ftood awhile aghail, like a perfon juft waked,
from a frightful dream ; but on feeing the In
dian advancing to tear the fcalp from his dying
brother, he fuddenly recollected himfeif, and
ihot a bullet through his head : then grappling
with
Page:Posthumous works, in prose and verse - Ann Eliza Bleecker.djvu/50
This page needs to be proofread.
28
THE HISTORY OF