ime it
seemed that I would distance them entirely; but I had overestimated my
strength, and to my alarm found myself growing weak, and running heavily
and with painful effort.

I had now, however, nearly reached the timber, and strained every nerve
to gain its welcome shadow; looking back, I saw that one of my pursuers
was within two hundred yards of me, and gaining rapidly; straining every
nerve, I kept up my headlong pace, but when within fifty paces of the
woods and with my enemy but little further behind me, I tripped and
fell, and had barely time to spring to my feet before he was upon me; he
was entirely unarmed, having thrown away his club during the chase. As
he rushed upon me, I met him with a blow from my fist, delivered with
all the force of which I was capable. Striking him directly under the
chin, it knocked him completely off his feet, and he measured his length
upon the grass. I turned with a spring, and was about to plunge into
the thicket, when the dense undergrowth parted directly before me, and I
stood face to face with an Indian of gigantic size and most singular
appearance. For a moment I was completely paralyzed; not so my new
opponent. Realizing the situation at a glance, he sprang upon me, and
bore me to the ground with scarcely an effort. Emerging from the
lethargy which had enthralled me for a moment, I struggled frantically
to free myself, but in vain. Several others had now come up, and my
fallen antagonist, who had been stunned for a moment, recovered himself,
with his temper not at all improved by the rough handling he had
received, and snatching a knife from the belt of one of the new comers,
aimed a blow at me which would have ended my life on the instant, and
prevented this narrative from being written. My captor seized his arm,
and rebuked him so sternly, that he slunk away abashed. I was then
allowed to rise to my feet, and my hands being bound, the huge Indian,
who seemed to be in authority, and of whom the others evidently stood in
awe consigned me to the custody of two warriors, and dismissing the rest
with a wave of his hand, again disappeared in the thicket.

Led between my two guards, I was soon taken back to the village,
followed by an excited crowd of Indians, who showed a disposition to
handle me pretty roughly, but their unwelcome attentions were prevented
by my conductors who pushed rapidly through the crowd, and soon reached
the lodge in which I had previously been confine