The Secret Shot; Or, The Rivals Of Misty Mount — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~ == tS 34 THE SECRET SHOT. that the enemy had not been caught napping. For, as the rangers moyed up the easy lower slopes in close order, the loud report of cannon reverberated among the crags, and. a cannon-ball went whizzing over their heads. “They'll have to shoot. better than that, colonel,” said Lieutenant Wilton, Cleave- land’s second in command, who rode at his side. “Perhaps they will,’ was the reply. “Trot out, lads!” continued the colonel ; and the band moved up the hill at a brisker pace. As the order was given, another ball came hurtling over their heads, this time in much closer proximity than before; and it was evident that the red-coat gunners were getting a much.better range. Indeed, pretty soon, the iron messengers came crash- ing through the woods at an alarming rate. One of the riflemen fell dead from his horse, and another one, badly wounded by a splin- ter, was unhorsed a few seconds thereafter. Then the boom of ordinance further away apprised them that the codperating forces were, probably, ascending the mountain on its opposite side. “ Halt!’ cried the sharp, clear yoice of Cleaveland, as the party reached the almost. impenetrable timber of the second rise of the mountain. They halted and dismounted, tethering their animals to the trees, and forming in line, with their rifles ready. “Took well to your flints, lads, and wait the word. We'll be the first to reach the top,” cried Cleayeland. “Forward, now!” he continued; “ for- ward—maron!” and the gallant band moved briskly up through the trees, which, however, were so dense as to materially mar the solidity of their column. : It soon became more open, though, and, with a fierce backwoods war-whoop, the Kentuckians rushed to the summit and de- livered a telling volley among the red-coats. The gunners were shot at the cannon, and the piece effectually spiked, before the ene- my could recover from the suddenness of the onset. But, they soon rallied with the bayonet, when the riflemen, clubbing their guns, were compelled to give way, and re- tired a short distance down the slope, to re- load under cover of the timber. And now, the ringing cheers of Colonel Campbell’s men came from the other side, followed by the simultuneous crash of their rifles, and the enemy were compelled to give the larg- est share of their attention to these new and more numerous assailants. They were likewise driven back at the point of the bayonet; when the diird party of stormers under the lead of the braye Colonels Shel- by and Williams, burst over the summit, and poured in their compliments, and the surrounded British were barely in time to repulse this attack with the bayonet before Cleaveland’s: party were again at the edgo of the flat summit, pouring in another gall- ing volley on their backs. “ Take to the trees, lads!” shouted Cleave- land; and, in a few seconds; the riflemen seemed to have vanished in air, so quickly did they obey the order and their back- woods training, and dart into cover, behind trees, stumps, logs and rocks, from which they kept up a desultory but effective fire. “Wuzza! Therecomes Campbell again!” shouted Lieutenant Wilton, from his perch in the fork of an elm-tree,and he brought up his piece to his shoulder, and let it off gleefully, as he spoke. Sure enough, again Campbell's brave fel- lows broke over the summit, pouring in their deadly fire, while Shelby made Ass second attack almost simultaneously, from another quarter. The enemy, though vastly preponderating in numbers, could reply but poorly with their wide-shooting muskets, and relied on the bayonet. Again and again would they drive their assailants down the mountain, only to turn to a fresh party in their rear. “Be ready, lads! be ready!’ shouted Oleaveland, as Shelby’s indomitable heroes appeared a third time at the top, pouring in their volley, and this time holding their own against the hitherto irresistible bayo- nets, with clubbed rifles, pistols and swords, “Break cover, ‘and fall in line!” cried Cleaveland again, and, almost sooner than it takes to tell it, the concealed hunters were in solid column on the open ground, With but small loss so far. “Forward—aarca! Zhi time we don’t break !’ roared the colonel, waving his sword above his head, and the merry men sprung forward and stood on the bare crest. Crack! crack! Bang! bang! And again their pieces were unerringly discharged, while Campbell's “ screamers” simultaneous- ly appeared.on the opposite side,.and also held their ground against the charging bayo- nets. 61 “ Glub your guns, and strike ’em down" EComichbooksnco ALA