Delaware journal. [volume] (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832, 1829-01-09

sinpi invested them with that feroc,ous rePutaon'
which has made them spoken OF throughout Europe
On board of the boats thus navigateo, our mer-
chants entrusted valuable cargoes without insurance
and with no other guarantee than the receipt OF the
sieersman, who possessed property but his poat;
and the confidence so reposed was seldom abused.
Among these men, Mike Fink stood an acknowied-
rcd leader for many years. Endowed by hatuie
with those qualities of intellect, that gave the pos
SCISSOR influence he would have been conspicuous
member of any society, in which his lot might nave
been cast An acute observer Of human nature, has
.o;d-ss Opportunty alone makes the hero. Change
but heir situations, and CTsar would have been out
the best wrestler on the green" With hglre Cast
! in mould thai, added much OF the symmetry OF an
Apollo to the limbs of Hercules, he possessed e.
tntic strength and accustomed from an early peri
cd of life to brave the dangers OF frontier e ms
character was noted tor the most daring Inlrepldty
! AT the Court Of Charlemagne, he might have been
u Roland with the Crusaders, he would have been
the E,yourite of the knight of the Lion-heart and
! in our Revolution he would have ranked with the
Morgaus and Putnams Of the day. lie was the hero
of Il hundred ,hts, and the leader IN thousand
daring adventures From Pittsburgh TO y. LOUIS.
and New Orleans his fame was established. Every
farmer on the shore kept on good terms win MIKE
l-otherwise there was safety for his property.
! Wherever he enemy, like his great proto-
type Rob Roy. he levied the contribution OF Black
Mail for the use of his boat. Often at night, when
his tired companions slept, he would take an excur-
ton of five or six miles and return before morning.
& rich in spoil On the Ohio, he was known ny the
appellation of '.rhe Swapping Turtle and on the
RI Mssissipp he was called . The Snag.
AT the early age of seventeen, Mikes character
, was displayed, bv enstng himself in corpse of
scout,-a body of irregular rangers, which was EN-
I ploved on the North Western frontier OF Pennsyl-
vana 10 watch the Indians, and to give notice OF any
threatened inroad
At that time Pittsburg was on the extreme verge
6 Of white population, and the spies, who were CON
. stantly employed, generally extended their cxpora-
tons forty or fifty miles to the west OF this port
n They went ont sngly, lived AS did the Indians, and
in every respect, became perfectly asslmiated IN
J.. habits taste and feeling, with the red men OF the
. desert. A kind of border warfare was kept mp, and
the scout thought II AIS pr'seworthy 10 bring In te
10 scalp OF a Shawnee, as the skin of a Panther lie
q would remain in the woods for weeks together, using
parched corn for bread and depending on las rifle
p for his meatand slept at night IN perfect comfort,
# rolled i'll his blanket.
r In this corpse whstyet stripping, Mike acquir-
cda reputation for bodness, and cunning. far beyond
e his companions thousand legends illustrate the
n icarlessness OF his character. There was one.
which he told himself, with much PRIDE, and which
r. made an ndclbe impression on my boyish memory.
# He had been out the hills of the Mahonng, when.
t. 10 use his own words, " he saw signs of Indians be-
the moccasin on the grass and found drops of fresh
blood OF ii deer on the green bush. He became
cautlous, and skuiked for some tune in the deepest
thlCkets OF hazel and briar, aud, for several days
OF did not discharge his ride. lie subsisted patiently
IT. on parched corn and Jerk, wlIch he had dried or
his first coming into tie woods He gvc no alarn
u to the settlements because he discovered with per
c, feet ceralnty, that the enemy consisted Of SINAI
e. hunting party, who were recedlng from the Ale
IL ghany.
As he was creeping along one morning, with th'
n stealthy tread Of cat, lis eI fell upon beautiful
&c buck, brousing the edge Of barren spot, tire
p- hundred yards distant. The temptation to
ne strong for the woodsnan and he resolved she
td at every hazard Re-prining his gun and pickin
he his snt he made his approaches in the usual noise
20 less manner. At the moment he reached the spot
c from which he meant TO take his aim he obs served
large savage, intent upon the same object, advanc
,"' Ing from direction little different from his owr
no Mike shrunk behind tree, with the qnickness
Ut thought, and keeping his eye fixed the hunter
r. waited the result with patience. In few moments
at the Indian halted within fifty PAGES, and levclle
his piece at the deer. In the meanwhile Mike pre-
on- sented his rifle at the body OF the savage and
s.. the moment the smoke issued from the gun of tn
OF latter the bullet of Fink passed through the re
te, mans breast. lie uttered yell. and fell dead
by the same instant with the deer. Mike re-ioaded h
md rife and remained IN his covert for some minutes
ere to ascertain whether there any more enemit
ing at band. He then stepped up to the posraesavags
ing and having satisfied himsethdt life was extngu,i
;ed ed, turned his attention to the buck and took froi
on The carcass those pieces, suited to the process
art jerking.
o. 10 the mean time the country was filling up wit
re a white population and in few years the red me
OF with the exception of few fractions of tribe
US gradually receded 10 the Lakes and beyond the Mi
) OF sissIpp The corps Of Scouts abolished alie
per having acquired habits, which united them for I'll
Itch pursuits of civilized society Some Incorporate
I'M themselves with the Indians : and others from
the strong attachment to their erratc mode of lie ION