On his return, I
questioned not my power to appease any indignation he might feel at the
liberties which I had taken. I was willing to suppose him one who would
readily afford us all the information and succour that we needed. If he should not return till sunrise, I meant to resume my journey. By
the comfortable meal we had made, and the repose of a few hours, we
should be considerably invigorated and refreshed, and the road would
lead us to some more hospitable tenement. My thoughts were too tumultuous, and my situation too precarious, to
allow me to sleep. The girl, on the contrary, soon sank into a sweet
oblivion of all her cares. She laid herself, by my advice, upon the bed,
and left me to ruminate without interruption. I was not wholly free from the apprehension of danger. What influence
this boisterous and solitary life might have upon the temper of the
being who inhabited this hut, I could not predict. How soon the Indians
might awake, and what path they would pursue, I was equally unable to
guess. It was by no means impossible that they might tread upon my
footsteps, and knock, in a few minutes, at the door of this cottage. It
behooved me to make all the preparations in my power against untoward
incidents. I had not parted with the gun which I had first seized in the cavern,
nor with the hatchet which I had afterwards used to cut the bands of the
girl. These were at once my trophies and my means of defence, which it
had been rash and absurd to have relinquished. My present reliance was
placed upon these. I now, for the first time, examined the prize that I had made. Other
considerations had prevented me, till now, from examining the structure
of the piece; but I could not but observe that it had two barrels, and
was lighter and smaller than an ordinary musket. The light of the fire
now enabled me to inspect it with more accuracy. Scarcely had I fixed my eyes upon the stock, when I perceived marks that
were familiar to my apprehension. Shape, ornaments, and ciphers, were
evidently the same with those of a piece which I had frequently handled. The marks were of a kind which could not be mistaken. This piece was
mine; and, when I left my uncle's house, it was deposited, as I
believed, in the closet of my chamber. Thou wilt easily conceive the inference which this circumstance
suggested. My hairs rose and my teeth chattered with horror. My whole
frame was petrified, and I paced to and fro, hurried from the chimney to
the door, and from the door to the chimney, with the misguided fury of a
maniac. I needed no proof of my calamity more incontestable than this. My uncle
and my sisters had been murdered; the dwelling had been pillaged, and
this had been a part of the plunder. Defenceless and asleep, they were
assailed by these inexorable enemies, and I, who ought to have been
their protector and champion, was removed to an immeasurable distance,
and was disabled, by some accursed chance, from affording them the
succour which they needed. For a time, I doubted whether I had not witnessed and shared this
catastrophe. I had no memory of the circumstances that preceded my
awaking in the pit. Had not the cause of my being cast into this abyss
some connection with the ruin of my family? Had I not been dragged
hither by these savages and reduced, by their malice, to that breathless
and insensible condition? Was I born to a malignant destiny never tired
of persecuting? Thus had my parents and their infant offspring perished,
and thus completed was the fate of all those to whom my affections
cleaved, and whom the first disaster had spared. Hitherto the death of the savage, whom I had dispatched with my hatchet,
had not been remembered without some remorse. Now my emotions were
totally changed. I was somewhat comforted in thinking that thus much of
necessary vengeance had been executed. New and more vehement regrets
were excited by reflecting on the forbearance I had practised when so
much was in my power. All the miscreants had been at my mercy, and a
bloody retribution might, with safety and ease, have been inflicted on
their prostrate bodies. It was now too late. What of consolation or of hope remained to me? To
return to my ancient dwelling, now polluted with blood, or, perhaps,
nothing but a smoking ruin, was abhorred. Life, connected with the
remembrance of my misfortunes, was detestable. I was no longer anxious
for flight. No change of the scene but that which terminated all
consciousness could I endure to think of. Amidst these gloomy meditations the idea was suddenly suggested of
returning, with the utmost expedition, to the cavern. It was possible
that the assassins were still asleep. He who was appointed to watch, and
to make, in due season, the signal for resuming their march, was forever
silent. Without this signal it was not unlikely that they would sleep
till dawn of day. But, if they should be roused, they might be overtaken
or met, and, by choosing a proper station, two victims might at least
fall. The ultimate event to myself would surely be fatal; but my own
death was an object of desire rather than of dread. To die thus
speedily, and after some atonement was made for those who had already
been slain, was sweet. The way to the mountain was difficult and tedious, but the ridge was
distinctly seen from the door of the cottage, and I trusted that
auspicious chance would lead me to that part of it where my prey was to
be found. I snatched up the gun and tomahawk in a transport of
eagerness. On examining the former, I found that both barrels were
deeply loaded. This piece was of extraordinary workmanship. It was the legacy of an
English officer, who died in Bengal, to Sarsefield. It was constructed
for the purposes not of sport but of war. The artist had made it a
congeries of tubes and springs, by which every purpose of protection and
offence was effectually served. A dagger's blade was attached to it,
capable of being fixed at the end, and of answering the destructive
purpose of a bayonet. On his departure from Solesbury, my friend left
it, as a pledge of his affection, in my possession. Hitherto I had
chiefly employed it in shooting at a mark, in order to improve my sight;
now was I to profit by the gift in a different way. Thus armed, I prepared to sally forth on my adventurous expedition. Sober views might have speedily succeeded to the present tempest of my
passions. I might have gradually discovered the romantic and criminal
temerity of my project, the folly of revenge, and the duty of preserving
my life for the benefit of mankind. I might have suspected the propriety
of my conclusion, and have admitted some doubts as to the catastrophe
which I imagined to have befallen my uncle and sisters. I might, at
least, have consented to ascertain their condition with my own eyes, and
for this end have returned to the cottage, and have patiently waited
till the morning light should permit me to resume my journey. This conduct was precluded by a new incident.