Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-04-11
VOL. ".

To insult inc by your threatening looks tel
/, minutes ago are you brave enough now ts
give me satisfaction ? s,h ldl u.
The stranger penned his reply:T am a
your service! sEara fr9 lI
Morton wrote again: 'Who will be YOU
second?' .7frras aE1s1 s
The stranger rejoined: Il am leo generous
TO seek an advantage; and too brave to feal
any on the part of others; therefore never
need the aid of second saataa l
Morton penned Name your TERMS
The stranger traced, without moments
hesitation Time, sunset this evening ;plsce
tin; weapons, rifles and distance, a hundred
yards. Do not fail 10 be in timer
He then took three steps across the floor
and disappeared through the window as lie
! had entered. lsnaa,n -..-
WHAT exclaimed Judge Webb, 'is it ros-
sible, Colonel Morton, that you intend to
fight that man 7 He is mute, If not posi-.
tive maniac. Such meeting, fear, will
sadly tarnisIl the lustre of your laurels.'
You are mistaken, replied Morton, with a
smile; 'that mute is a hero, whose fame
stands in the record of dozen battles, and
at least half as many bloody duels. Besides
he is The favorite emissary and bosom friend
of Houston. i'll have the good fortune to
kill him, think it will tempt the president
to retract his VOW against venturing any more
on the field of honor h r
you know the man, then. Who is he
Who is he ? asked twenty voices together.
Deaf Smith, answered Morton, coolly.
why no; that cannot be. Deaf Smith
was slain at San Jacinto,' remarked Judge
Webb.
sThere, again. your honor is mistaken
said Morton. The story of Smiths death
was mere fiction, got up by Houston to save
the life of his favoriie from the sworn ven.
geance Of certain Texans, in whose couduc,
he had acted as a spy. falhomed the arti-
fee twelve months since
If what you say he true, you are a madmai
vourselfr exclaimed Webb. Deaf Smith
was never known to miss his mark. He la.
often brought down ravens in their most rap.
id fight and killed Camanches and Mexi.
cans at distance of TWO hundred and fifty
yardsn
Say no more answered Colonel Morton
in tones OF deep determination ;'he thing is
already settled. | have already agreed tc
meet him. There can be no disgrace in
falling before such shot, and, if succeed
my triumph will confer the greater glory"
Such was the general habit of thought anG
feeling prevalent throughout Texas at tha
period.
| Towards evening q vast crowd assembled
at the pace appointed to witness The hostile
meeting and so great was the popular reck
iessne' as 10 affairs Of the sort, ;hai nufner
ons and considerable sums were wageied or
The result. At length the red orb of The sum
mer sun touched the curved rim of the wes
tern horizon, covering it all with crimson ahc
gold, ard filling the air with flood Of burn
ing glory; and then the TWO mortal sntagon
lists, armed with long, ponGerous rifles, took
their station, back TO back, and al a precon-
certed sgnal-the waving of a white hand
kerehief.-wa walked slowly and steadily off in
opposite directions, counting their seps until
each had measured fifty. They both COM
pIeted the given number about the same in
stant, and then they wheeled, each to aim
and fire when he chose. As the distance was
great, both paused for some seconds-long
enough for the beholders TO fash their eyes
from one TO the other, and mark the striking
contrast belwixt them. The face of Col
Morton was calm and smiling, but the smile
il bore had a most murderous meaning. On
the contrary, the countenance OF Deat Smith
was stern and passonless as ever. side
view of his features might have been mistak
en- for profile done in cast-iron. The one
too was dressed in the richest cloth, the Other
in smoke tinted leather. But that made nc
difference in Texas then; for the heirs o
heroic courage were all considered peers
the class of interiors embraced none but cow
ards.
Presently two rifles exploded with stimuli
taneous roars. Colonel Morton gave pro-
digious bound upwards, and dropped TO the
earth corpse. Deaf Smith stood erect, ant
Immediately began to reload his rife ; anl
then, having finished his brief task, he hast
ened away into the adjacent forest.
Three days afterwards General Houston
accompanied by Deaf Smith and ten more
men, appeared in Austin, and without further
opposition removed the state papers.
i The history Of the hero Of the foregoing
anecdote was one of the most extraordinar,
ever known in the West. He made his ad
vent in Texas at an early period. and contin
ued TO reside there until his death, whicl
, happened some two years ago; but although
he mad many warm personal friends. no one
could ever ascertain either the land of his
F birth, or single sleam of his previous biog
raphy. When he was questioned on the
subject, lie laid his finger on his lip and i
pressed more urgently his brow writIied, and
his dark eve seemed to shoot sparks of livit
fire! He could write with astonishing cor
rectness and facility. considering his situa
ton; and although denied the exquisite pleas
ure and priceless advantages of the sense o
hearing, nature had given him ample com
pensation, by an eye quick and far seeing al
an eagles, and smell keen and incredible
as that Of a raven. He could discover objects
moving miles away in the far-of prairie
when others could perceive nothing bu
earth and sky !; and the rangers used to de
clare that he could catch the scent of a Mex
lean or Indian at as great a distance as {
buzzard could distinguish The odor of a deat
carcass.
II was these qualities which fitted him 81
well for spy, in which capacity he rendered
invaluable services to Houstons army dur
ing the war of independence. He always
went alone, and generally obtained the infor
nation desired. His habits in private lif'
were equally singular. He could never b.
persuaded to sleep under the roof of a house
or even 10 use lent-cloth. Wrapped in hi
blanket he loved to lie out in the open air
under the blue canopy Of pure ether, ant
count the stars, or gaze with yearnins
look at The melancholy moon. When no
employed as spy OF guide, he subsisted bl
hunting being often absent on solitary ex
cursons for weeksa and even months togerhe
in the wilderness. He was genuine son o
prairie, which he worslipped with sort o
Pagan alteration. Excluded by his infrmi
ties from cordial fellowship with his kind
ne made the inaninate things of the earti
ms friends, and entered by the hearts owl
L Il