Washington telegraph., 1849-10-24
PRAIRIE LIFE.
A TALE OF REV NGE.

Although much has been written on
prairie life, many wild adventure, and
yet many wilder scene has been left
| undescribed. Poor Ruxton, who died at
St. Louis, and whose highly entertaining
| and valuable work, '.Scenes in the Far
West" is enriched with many story and
scene which, no doubt, to the people of
| the East, seem like tales from the Arabian
Nights. There is so much originality
about the manner and habits of the trap
per and frontiersman that one is struck
with their peculiar language or mode of
expressing themselves, as well as their
singular costume They are, in fact, as
distinct and marked class as sailors, and
have as many odd and quaint sayings.
It is generally the commission of crime,
some disappointment in life, or native
love of adventure and peril, that makes
! these men desert the comforts of civilized
society for the wilds and haunts of the
red man. We can imagine the terrible
reaction which takes place when the
storm of passion or wreck of disappointed
hopes sweeps over the sensitive soul, and
leaves desoIation-a ruin OF the former
man. 1t is misfortunes like these which
scorch and dry up the finest feelings
some moral wrong or injustice committed
by others toward them, in revenging
which they have been compelled to leave
| their homes anC become exiles in the Far
! West.
| A story is told of an extraordinary
meeting, and an act of revenge, said to
have taken place many long years ago,
On ho fork of tho poxupoo r,rtu of
four, who had been rowing for many years
in the West, all strangers to each other,
were one day accidently thrown together,
when strange and bloody scene ensued.
These men presented striking contrast
in feature. The youngest was delicately
made, with long, light hair and blue eyes;
his exposure had given him rich, brown
complexion. He was of the medium
stature, and made for strength and agility.
There was dark void over his features.
which told that with him the light of hope
had gone out. He was travelling on
mule, with his rifle in his gun leather at
The bow of his saddle, when he overlook
a man on foot, with q gun on his shoulder
and pistols in his belt, who was over SIX
feet, and had deep, wide scar on his
right cheek. As day was drawing to
close, they proposed to camp, and brought
up at the head of the fork of the Pawnee.
Shortly after they had camped, man was
seen accommodating them with a rifle in
his nand, and having satisfied himself that
the sign was friendly, he came moodily
into the camp, and after looking sternly
al the two men, was asked by Scar Cheek
to "come to the ground He was stout,
muscular man, much older than the other
two, with deep, habitual scowl, long,
black, matted hair, and very unprepos
sessing features. Some common place re-
marks were made, but no questions were
asked by either party.
1t was near twilight when the young
man, who had gathered some buffalo chips
to make fire to cook with, suddenly per-
ceived a man approaching them on a
mule; he came steadily and fearlessly on
to the camp, and, casting look at the
three, said, 'Took ye for Indians" then
gancing at the deer-skin dress of the trio,
he observed, "Old leathers-some time
out eh?" The man was about fifty years
old. and his gray hairs contrasted strangely
with his dark. bronzed features. upon
which care and misfortune were strongly
stamped. He was only half clad by the
miserable skins he wore; and, as he dis
mounted, Scar Cheek asked "Where
from?" "From the Kaw," kansas,) he
replied, throwing down bundle of otter
SKINS After unsaddllng and stalking out
his mule, he brought himself to the ground,
and taking his rifle, looked at the priming
and shaking the powder in the pan, he
added few more grains to it; then plac-
inc a piece of thin dry skin over it to keep
it from the damp, he shut the pan. The
group watched the old trapper. who
seemed not to notice them, while Scar
Cheek became interested and showed
certain uneasiness. He looked towards
his own rifle, and once or twice loosened
the pistols in his belt as if they incom-
moded him. The young and the stout
man with the scowl exchanged glances,
but no word passed. So far 10 question
had been asked as to who the other was;
what little conversation passed was very
laconic, and not smile wreathed the lip
of any one of them.
The little supper was eaten IN silence,
each man seeming to be wrapt in his own
thoughts. 1t was agreed that the watch
should be divided equally among the four.
each man standing on guard two hours
the old trapper taking the first watch, the
Young man next, and Scar Cheek and he
with scowl following.
1t was bright moonlight night, and
over that barren wild waste OF pralrle not
sound was heard as the three lay sleep
ing or their blankets. The old trapper
paced up and down, ran his eyes around
the wild waste before him, and then would
stop and mutter to himself, ut cannot be, "