Canton herald., 1837-11-10

sssssaass
70 chaunt the dcuu eautoi g voru1I'
I A moment aIier ibc liHm rose info
lhc 0if, and swift g Che ilniorba'i +.
/ darcd down upon ihe Chlet scarcely +.
+ had he reached bi' victim, when cvc..
Iry bow was sprung and every arrow
sent TO the feather into bis body. The .
1 piasa uttered wild, icerul screams
4 that rcsouudcd far over the opposite
side of the river, and expired. O"o-
toga was safe; not onorrow, not even
the talons Of the bird had touched hm'
. The Master Of Life, in admiration otI
g.. the noble deed Of Owatogo' had held
over him an invisible shield In me-
mory Of this event this immogc oil the
, Piasa was engraved IN the lace ol the
: bluff.
! Such is tie Indian Traditions OF.
course do not youch for ITS truth
This much, however, is certain; the
4: figure OF a largo bird, cut into the So
lid rock, is still there, and at height
that is perfectly inaccessible. How,
-, and for what purpose it was made, J
4 leave it for others to deternme. Even
o at this day an Indian never passes
0 that spot in his canoe without firing
n his gun at the figure Of the bird. Tie
marks of the balls on the rocks are
L almost nnumerable. Not a great
while since was induced to visit the
II bluffs below the mouth Of the Illinois
river, and that of the Piasa. My cu-
@ riosity was principally directed to the
examination Of the cave connected
with the above tradition, as one Of
those to which the bird had carried
N its human victims. Preceded by an
= intelligent guide who carried a spade
70 set out on my excursion. The cave
: was extremely difficult OF access, anc
j. at one point Of our progress, ! stood
=, atan elevation of more than 80 fee
on the face Of the bluff, with bare,3
al room to sustain one foot, the unbro
ar ken wall lowered above me, while De
,r low was the river. Aftcra long an,
A. perilous clanbering we reached th
Is cave. which was about fifty feet aboy
ofI the surface Of the river. BY the al
In Of a long pole, placed on the project
hc inc rock, and the upper end touchln
'at the mouth Of the cave, we succeede
y in entering it. Nothing could b
NH more impressive than the view fror
'he the entrance of the cavern. Ih
the Mississippi was rolling in silent graz
nj. dur beneath us-high over our head
MIS- a sjngle cedar hung its branches owe
aor the Clifton the blasted top of whic
the was seated bald Eagle. No otht
ths sound or sign of life was near US
nm Sabbath Stiffness rested upon the seer
m not a cloud in the Heoyens-not
an. ~ breath of air was sterrlng-the broi
a6s op smooth as a lake. The landscape pr
r;y. sented the same wild aspect as it d
fra. before it had vet met the eye Of t
+ n. white man.
Mis-. The rcof of the cavern was vanItt
tied the top OF which was nalaiy leSS tn ",
''' oftho cave was irregular, bat 50
the as | could Judge tne DogSon' gr3 "U' WV.
the average ~ by "o leot' nc lloo' :,
hose the cave throughits WhoIe eAieII' nv " "
wing a mass OF human oones' S4oI,o ta,oti !
here other bones were ming'eo " 49, -,
that IN the utternost con'uSlon' ; = '"
Ions. depth they extend, am unap,c W
ined cide-but we dug TO 'he ueP'n
time three OF tour teet IN every qua, W.
He the cavern ana sun we ioG''u -
-ould bones. Inc le'haii3S - ''I''o 30