Many of the terrified soldiers, without thinking
of drawing their bayonets, flew down the ramparts in
order to gain their respective block-houses for their
muskets: but these every where met death from the crashing
tomahawk, short rifle, or gleaming knife;--others who
had presence of mind sufficient to avail themselves of
their only weapons of defence, rushed down in the fury
of desperation on the yelling fiends, resolved to sell
their lives as dearly as possible; and for some minutes
an obstinate contest was maintained: but the vast
superiority of the Indian numbers triumphed; and although
the men fought with all the fierceness of despair, forcing
their way to the block-houses, their mangled corpses
strewed the area in every direction. Neither was the
horrid butchery confined to these. Women clinging to
their husbands for protection, and, in the recklessness
of their despair, impeding the efforts of the latter in
their self-defence--children screaming in terror, or
supplicating mercy on their bonded knees--infants clasped
to their parents' breasts,--all alike sunk under the
unpitying steel of the blood-thirsty savages.
Pages:
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485