New-York daily tribune., 1842-09-14
rrom The soulhern Literary Messenger for September
HUGH GLASS,
MA HUNTER OF THE MISSOURI

HUGH GLASo,
MA HlJNTER OF THE MISSOURI
Concluded
The pleasures of this rowing, independent, this
easy, careless life OF the hunter, when once tasted
with RELISH the subject is irreclalmabe, and pines
in disgust amid the tameness Of more quiet occu-
Epatiens.
Gfass had found sympathy among his new friends
,t the trading house Who could withhold deep
interest from the story of such wrongs? lie was
destitute Of clothing the rifle, butcher-knife, &c,
the means of the support, ard even existence OF
rha hunter. These they generously supplied him.
A party of six of the engages, headed by one
Loneevan, had occasion about this time to ascend
the Missouri, in Mackinaw, with the purpose OF
trading with the Msndaus, about 300 miles above:
these Glass resolved to accompany; he was anxious
to rejoin the trapping expedition, from which he
had been cut off, great object, 1t may be readily
copjectured was to meet the two wretches he was
so much indebted TO.
The party set out in their Mackinaw in October;
and near month did they tug against the stubborn
current of the Missouri: so slow is the progress
of all boats but those impeed by resstless steam,
that hunters have the greatest leisure to subsist
party thus employed At the Big Bend, half
hours walk across reaches the point gained IN
three days by the boatmans labor Among the
tience and success Many fat elk fell by his haSd.
The Arickara Indians, driven by armed forces
from the extensive village, had retrea,ed up the
river to the Mandans for relief. They had been
overpowered but not vanqushed; and their i'm
memorial hostility to whites was but aggravated to
fresh deeds of outrage.
Late in October, the Macllinaw had reached
within twenty miles of the Mandun village. Nor
had its party been more cautious than is usual on
the river. Late in afternoon, at this time, they
uususpectingly landed TO put ashore hunter; and,
as it happened, at point nearly opposite the spot
chosen by the Arickaras for their temporary abode
Ever on the alert the boat-full os white men had
in the morning been deserted by one of their out
parties and runner had informed the tribe of the
glad tidings. So all was in readiness for the de-
struction of the unconscious objects OF savage re-
venge. Scarce had the boat left the beach, and
Glass, as the hunter (his lucky star still prevail
ing,) gained the concealmcnt OF the willows, when
hundred guns or bows sent forth their tataismis-
siles and on the instant rose the shrl cry of war
from hundred mouths. Had thunderbot burst
from the cloudless heaven upon the heads of the
boat crew, greater could not have been their aston
ishment, or its destruction The appalling din was
echoed from hill to hill, and rolled far and wide
through the dark bottoms and it was such as to
arrest in fear the fierce panther in the act OF leap
ing upon the trembling deer
But few gums from the boat sent back defiance
to the murderous discharge; the shouts were but
answered by the death-cry and expiring groans.
The Indians rushed upon their victims, and the
war-club and tomahawk finished work that had
been so fearfully begun They rioted in blood ;
with horrid grimaces and convusive action they
hewed into fragments the dumb, lifeless bodies
they returned to their camp moving group OF
d,isky demons, exultng in revenge, besmearea
with blood, bearing aoft each mansled portion
of the dead, trophies of brutal success.
Glass had thus far again escaped cruel tate.
He had gained the almost impervious conceament
of drified and matted willows, and underground,
when the dread ebulhtion of triumph and death
announced TO him the evil he had escaped, and his
still imminent peril. Like the hunted fox, he
doubled, he turned, ran or crawled, successfully
gaining the various concealments of the dense bot
tom to increase his distance from the bloody scene
And such was his success, that he had thought
himself nearly safe, when at slight opening he
was suddenly faced by foe. 1t was an Arickara
scout. The discovery was simultaneous, and SO
close were these willy woodsmen, that but the one
had scarce time to use weapon intended tor q
much greater distance. The deadly tomahawksoi
the other was most readily substituted for the
s,eeled arrow. AT the instant, 1T flew through the
air, and the rifle was discharged; neither could
or feel the effect produced, but they rushed into
each Others grasp, either endeavorng to crush his
adversary BY the shock of the onset, But not SC
the result; the graphing fold of their arms was
SO close that they seemed as one animal Tor .
while doubtful was the strugge for the mastery; :
so great was theirexertion, that the grasped nnser
met in the flesh! But Glass, not wholly recoyerec
from his wounds, was doomed to sink beneath tht
superior strength of his adversary by an irreslstt
bic effort, of which he was>roled upon the earth
the Indian above At this instant the effect of M
nnerring shot was developed The Indians las
>convuls;ve exer,ioa so successful, was accompa
MED by a shout of victory-but dying on his lips
it had marked his spirits departure. It was a:
If his proud soul, sensible Of approaching feeble
ness, had willingly expired in tho last desperate
effort, and the shout Of triumph with which h'
would have ushered both their souls into the
presence of the. Great Soirit
Redeemed, unhoped, from death, Glass beheie
at his feet his lale enemy, not>only dead, but al
ready stifening, With hand instinctiyely touching
the hilt of his knife
Brief was his brea,hing time ne was soon rem
dered aware that the report Of his rife had beer
heard by the Arickaras that his escape was dis
covered he had inst;nctvely reloaded his gum anc
ne renewed a fight of which lis life was the stake
Concealmeas from his pursuers having become im
possible, he used his utmost speed IN the hope o
soon gaining shelter Of such nature that ht
could end race which could no longer be doubt
full. Horses had becn called into reauislton.
We may suppose his hurried thoughts nov
turned UPON his late narrow escapes, which h'