The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1849-07-18

tectet from view by the great clusters OF
cactus " Lich surrounded it on three sides.
Here he stripped his faithful horse and turn.
ed him loose to Craze, and then taking for
supper hearty draught of water, threw
himself upon his blanket to sleep.
lie had lost his provision wallet in the
chase and it was more tha ! lie dare venture
upon to shoot game. for fear Of betraylng
his hiding place, and though hungry enough,
he was fain this time "lo 60 to bed supper.
less lie thought Of home before sleep
came, of course. and wished himself there
mos, heartily. that he might attack the we'll
stocked poultry, theconteulsof which danced
in most tanaiizing visions before him during
The whole night. This was too much a
common rrcdlcamenl. however, to make
any very strong impression upon him other
wise.
lie was mounted and off early next morn.
ING. and was somewhat delighted to perceive
that his horse was considerably gauntcd by
the ve.lcrday's hard work and the some
what narrow commons of tho night. How
ever. he now moved on with something less
of hurry. as there were no indications oil
pursuit apparent. Following the rivulct, he
soon reached the West Branch, and turned
10 this with a brisker movement, spurred
bv the cheerful hope Of soon reaching his
comrades and guiding them safe. In an
hour he was IN sight of the ground, and put
his nurse into swift galop in his eagerncss
10 pass over The interval quickly. On cum.
ING he saw. instead of his comrades, the dead
BODY of an Indian warrior lying across the
very ashes of their campfire, all gashed and
hewed with bowie knife culs. All around
the earth was deeply broke up, with the ev-
licences of desperate hand to hand strng-
gle. The breech Of arife, he recognized,
and number of arrows, with broken lance
and shield, were scattered round. He felt
choking sensation, and his blood ran cold
at the sight. His comrades had been sur
prised, no doubt. by the same party which
had pursued him but with what result it was
impossible for him to tell certainly though he
had little choice but to believe and fear the
worst.
Amid the multitude Of the tracks Of un-
shod horses, he could distinguish the few
tracks of their shod horses. There was no
trace of their bodies in the hasty survey he
had time To make, and it seemed very
strange that this dead warrior should be left
b hind. so contrary to their well known
custom! lie followed the trail for some
Time. with great caution, but could make no
discovery, except deal Of blood on the
ground, until towards noon, when rising the
comb of steep ridge he looked down in
the pIain below. upon large body OF In.
dian, cncampcd about mile distant. This
was s.artiiHg sight, and they perceived
him al the same moment, Now he felt lie
would have to run for his life. One glance,
as he wheeled, was sufficient TO show him
warriors mounted tic horses Of his dead
friends! lie did not dread race with the
horses Of the lnl.ans 80 much. because his
horse was more than match for the best Of
theirs. hut the horses of his comrades was
as swift, aud in every sense. as good as his
noW, they were 10 be turned against hun.
lie cnrSrd ,.n rashnc$s that had induced HIM
to fol ow up their trail, but this was ~ time
to pause for rcgrels-he was oft, down the
hill, at the best speed of his horse, already
somewhat tagged, would raise. All depen-
d,:l upon drlllng back To the timber and
lnnslily hnm He could hear thclr pnrsu.
inc wells, distinctly for lhnmeni. and tins
was no svren's music to draw him back!
lie had Il gn!d nile the start, but thus was
no great matter. if, as he supposed, their
nurses were frcshcr than his own! He had
NOT time now 90 feel anr alarm but only that
there was hot work before him, and and he
had it To attend to. lis object was to get
out of sight AS sonn as possible, for he gained
a great deal By compelling them to run on
his trail: He strained his horse tremendous
". and succeeded, for when tile sudden burst
of their vuices came To him. proving that
they had reached the comb of the ridge, he
looked back but could not see it ur them.
He felt little light about tile heart now,
and had lime to think something of his best
course. 1t seemed forNorn chance for an
cscape-i.c was over SIX miles from timber.
He suddenly remembered that he observed,
for several days past. heavy smoke off to.
wards the south. and looking now in that
direction, saw it filling the whole HORIZON
with gloomy MASSES, which seemed 10 be
rising bu, few miles off, observing that it
W as not very high. 1t instant y occurred to
him in his extremity, for he felt sure from
the action Of his horse that he would not
last much longer in the hard run before
them, that the safest course for him would
be the most desperate, and this was to make
directly for the approaching line of this fire
and take his chances OF being able to force
his way through it alive. With such bar
rer between himself and the Indians he was
safe. Acting upon this strange alternative,
he urged his horse steadily towards the fire.
1t was not long before he met the dark adj
vance guar1 of the smoke as it rolled along
the grass, and rode beneath It's sitting shell
Ia ~