320 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



she gazed round at me, she struck desperately at my breast 

 with the knife. I warded off the blow, and she dropped it ! 

 Then, with a still more harrowing cry, she fainted across the 

 body. 



Never was horror amplified to a more intolerable extreme 

 of fear and dread than now, in all my experience before or 

 since. She was crazed, we were nearly out of food of any 

 kind ! and could I dare, even if able, to go out and leave her 

 here alone? It seemed just as shocking to me to confine her 

 with thongs as to leave her alone. What might not the 

 furious strength of a maniac accomplish ? 



Here was a climax ! I acknowledge, I felt in no hurry to 

 restore her from her fainting fit. Murder, madness, stupor 

 and starvation, all rose in appalling succession before me. 



" What could I do ? What should I do ? I bowed my head 

 upon my hands and wept, completely overcome by this 

 tragic combination of fearful extremities. 



A loud hurrah, accompanied by the clatter of horses' feet 

 now broke the stifling stillness, and springing up, I rushed 

 forward, or rather hobbled earnestly towards the door to see 

 if it was yet secure. 



As I reached it, it was burst open violently, and in rushed 



my friend C , the planter ! followed by several negros. 



He was a good-humored, vehement, boisterous man, and ex- 

 claimed, in a loud voice, as his eye fell upon me : 



" Caught at last ! Why what's all this, my good fellow ?" 

 looking round him, in astonishment and horror. " What 



sort of a d Ts den is this you've fallen into ? have you 



been playing the ' Kilkenny cats' out here in this droll-look- 

 ing place ? Are those two people dead ? What's been happen- 

 ing?" 



" We've been having a brush with the Cherokees, these 

 persons are wounded !" 



" Hah ! the very fellows I've just been drubbing. They 

 carried the bodies of several killed and wounded. You must 



