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

z ~aH d. d
Every body remembers the famous es-
cape of Capt. Dan Henrie at Encarnaclon.
This reckless and daring ranger has Proba-
blypassed Through greater number OF peril
ous and singular adventures than any other
n,an:of the same age in the service though
one of The most 'Iight-hearted morlals that
the warn, sun ever smiled upon. Yet he
has careless knack Of getting into the most
desperate scrapcs on every possible occasion.
and chen, Of course, he fights his way out
again with The most tlasliing gallantry.
Iii is one of Dams curious adventures
whiIea ranger, that / propose to relate now.
shall eadeavor 10 give it as nearly as can
remember IN bis own way, as he related It
10 me ,housk confess, i, will be very dall-
cult, if moi impossible, to preserve the rac'-
ness Of his raHle-pate and peculiar manner.
twas before he joined the lMler expedition,
and while vet with the rangers, under tho
command of Mccullough. :,
Dan, whose excellence as gide was we'll
known to the csptaith was despatched by
him along with three others of the troop. on
d ast,rilsc exncditinn, towards the head wa
ssfers Of Tie Nucccs. This was in the early
winter of the year before the Mier exped-
lion, and ihe Mexicans was in many ways
asluoyn.t and threalning the weak settle
ments along the riyer. Fhis stale OF things
had encn,irased the Indians, as well to make
verv bold 1descents. Mccullough had on
ii,s first arrival given them both severe les
son, upon which the maraudcrs had taken
The hint, and nothing fiftIicr had been heard
from either party for several months. Un.
willing that his men should lie in camp at
such place as Corpus Christi, with nothing
q aodo bull to drink aIid carouse, the prudent
captain Of Rangers had thought best to des.
i,aich all the most restless spirits ON tours OF
observation IN various quarters. Besides,
,,tiie aspect Of affairs in that part OF Texas
eeharalIy, had begun to seem rather forlorn,
md seemed to call for unremittng vigilance.
as Ban and his cnmpanioas had reached the
! foot of the mountains in whicli the western
branch Of the Nueces takes rise, without
meeting with any other sort of incident thIn
those which are common to prairie travel.
! Here they formed their camp, and as they
had vet discovered no signs of Indians. ii
was concluded that they would take each
his own course the next day, and after trav
cling as much ground as possible, return to
camp and report, and il it should then ap.
pear that no sign had yet been discovered
by any Of them it was agreed they would
spend several days in regular buffalo hunt,
Ing frolic, as these animals seem to abound
greatly IN this region. Accordingly they
were uader way quite early. each man l",
lowing the bent Of his own humor and Ian
cy for tic time. Dan had been travelling in
a leisurely sort Of way until noon, when he
came Upon scene Of sich remarkable
beauty that he ,nvolunlarily stopped to gaze
upo1it. He had--scarcely without observ-
ing--foIiowed up the branch of the Nueces,
until he now found himself al its very head
spring. In front of him bold and
br ken m,un,ain Stood out somewhat from
IN ..lain, at the foot Of which he had been
ridr,. all the morning. The front OF this
mountain was almost square of PerpendI-
acui r.. aud looked as if it had been cleft from
crest to foot by bolt of thunder, and hurl.
ed from out the ranks Of peers. The huge
masses Of stone with which it seemed built
were scanned with sort Of eccentric regu-
jarity, and evergreens were rooted along
these seams. As the eye descended, these
masses became more broken. and assumed
fantastic resemblance to the lines and forms
of Gothic architecture in decay, while from
.athe pr airie level sprung broken arch, one
side of which was perfect in outline, and
the other concealed by the over-hanglng
masses of evergreens and shrubs. Alta dis,
sar,ce this seemed the arched gateway ol
50 me huge cavern, / ut when he approach
ed i, he found the rock slanted to give it, al
adissaace, the appearance Of shadow. In