ent.
A man was severely injured in a leap on the bayonets, after which
that feature of the initiation was said to have been abandoned.

XIV

This is the story of Corporal Darius Olin, touching his adventure
in the Temple of the Avengers, at some unknown place in Upper
Canada, on the night of August 12, 1813, and particularly the
ordeals of the sword, the slide, and the bayonet to which Captain
Ramon Bell was subjected that night, as told to Adjutant Asarius
Church, at Sackett's Harbor, New York:--

"Soon es I see whut wus up, I gin a powerful lift on thet air
shackle-chain. I felt 'er give 'n' bust. A couple o' men clim'
int' the seat front uv us, 'n' the hosses started hell bent. I sot
up with my hands 'hind uv me 'n the wagin. I kep' 'em there tight
'n' stiff, es ef the iron wus holdin' uv 'em. Could n't git no
chance t' say nuthin' t' Ray. Hustled us upstairs, 'n' when we
come in t' thet air big room they tuk him one way an' me 'nother.

"Didn't hev no idee where I wus. Felt 'em run a chain through my
arms, careful, efter they sot me down. I sot still fer mebbe five
minutes. Seemed so ev'rybody'd gone out o' the place. Could n't
hear nuthin' nowhere. I le' down the chain jest es ca-areful es I
could, 'n' tuk off the blindfold. 'Twas all dark; could n't see my
hand afore me. Crep' 'long the floor. See 't was covered with
sawdust. Tuk off m' boots, 'n' got up on m' feet, 'n' walked
careful. Did n' dast holler t' Ray. Cal'lated when the squabble
come I 'd be ready t' dew business. All t' once I felt a slant 'n
the floor. 'T was kind o' slip'ry, 'n' I begun t' slide. Feet
went out from under me 'n' sot me down quick. Tried t' ketch holt
o' suthin'. Could n't hang on; kep' goin' faster. Fust I knew I
'd slid int' some kind uv a box. Let me down quicker 'n scat over
thet air grease a little ways. I out with my tew hands 'n' bore
ag'in' the sides o' th' box powerful 'n' stopped myself. Then I up
with these here feet o' mine. See the top o' the box wa'n't much
more 'n a foot above me. Tried t' crawl up ag'in. Couldn't mek
it. Dum thing slanted luk Tup's Hill. Hung on awhile, cipherin'
es hard es I knew how. Hearn suthin' go kerslap. Seem so the hull
place trembled. Raised up my head, 'n' peeked over my stumick down
the box. A bar o' light stuck in away down. Let myself go careful
till I c'u'd see my nose in it. Then I got over on my shoulder 'n'
braced on the sides o' the bo