Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-11-15
OTTUMWA, IOWA, NOVEMBER Is, 1850.

in time of war, to make so long Jour
ney unarmed, was in itself an unprece-
dented occurrence, but the unbroken ST.
fence maintained by them, increased the
romance of the adventure and made
him very curious to learn the cause.
The third days journey was marked
with additional interest. A party of
Indians, whom he recognized as friend
y to the whites, came unexpectedly up
on him at Waterford and took the two
Chickasaws prisoners. Their fate
would have been settled, for the hatchet
was already cleaning in The sun for iin-
mediate use, when the elder of the two
capiives, with a strange. inournful ges-
ture, but without uttering word, point
ed to his companions breast, on which
was tattooed some strange character,
with the ordinary paint used throughout
the Southwest. The sign arrested the
attention of the whole party, who crow
ded simultaneously to read the HERO
glyphics. What was the white mans
astonishment, then, to see the whole
throng fall back as by magic, as soon as
they saw the mysterious mark. With
many deprecating sign, the hostile
warriors now restored the two captives
TO liberty, forced upon them food for
their journey, and withdrew silently,
one by one, leaving the way clear for
them to depart. This was altogether
beyond his depth; and he now determin-
ed TO spare - time or pains to solve the
mystery of their conduct. Thus far
The three travellers had continued npon
the Na,caez trail, which keeps general
course Northeastwardly, crossing the
Tennessee river near the present town
of Eastport; but towards the close of
the day, he observed the Indians deviate
from his path, aud then take direction
which would cross the Yallabusha river
where Graysport now stands.
Their relative positions were now
changed. He, in his turn, became the
pursuer, and when at night the two In
dians prepared their camp, he unhesita-
lingly joined them, and claimed share
of the provisions with which they had
been so Literally supplied. No objec-
tions were made to this, and as little at
tenlion paid to his inquiries ds before
a dull silence being the only answer
made to all his words. Two days more
the march wasN continued, and now the
motives for this Yong, mysterious Jour
nd AYere to be disclosed. Arriving at
large beech tree near a fine spring that
gushed out from the foot OF hill, the
Indian companions halted, and looking
at the white man for the first ttime, made
signals that he should dismount, and
turn his horse loose TO Craze. Suppos-
ing that they were only preparing to camp
out for the night, although the sun was
YET high in the heavens, be Qbeyed, and
seated himself by the cool Mountain to
rest, while they shoulS kindle their usual
fire, antpra3e supp9 Bat very
different ceremony awaited his attention.
ThNlNlNps first divested themselves of
'theif olMEets and mockasins, then, ta-
king each other by the hand, stood for a
considerable period looking each other
solemnfy in the face. Turning away,
each produced sharp stone hatehet.
which had previously escaped the atten-
ton Of the white man, and measuring
out spot of ground at the foot Of the
tree, about the sus4 an ordinary grave,
they commenced ri,NN Mig. Before
ai,isset txeG uAAAHi&d exertions had
thrown out the soil more than three feet
deep, and the last act of this strange
tragedy commenced. Again graspIng
each others hand, and repeating the
same long, solemn look, the elder OF the
two Indians threw himself into an atli-
tude of PRAYER, and chanted a long, dis
NAL, funeral song. The white man uu-
derstood the whole history at a word.-
This Indian was to die by his compan-
ions hand, and his own hands had help
ed to scoop out his grave!
The evening came on gloomy and dis
NAL as that death chant went up from
the solemn pair. Its burden was rep
eltion OF the victories gained, the ene-
mics killed, the scalps taken, and the va
rious exploits which had made up the
busy life of the man who was thus
strangely to die of his own accord and
by his brothers hand.
As soon as the song was ended he
knelt at the head Of the grave, cast his
eyes upward, and was again silent.
His companion approaching the white
man, took his rifle from his passive hand,
advanced behind the kneeling warrior,
and shot him through the head, steadily
directing the fall OF the corpse into the
open grave. Then, with both hands re-
turning the dirt to its place, he trampled
the ground hard with his feet, and in a
few minutes no traces remained of the
strange tragedy in which he had borne
SO heavy part.
Wrapping his own blanket around
him and donning his moccasins, he ran,
shook the white man by the hand, and
still, without word, shaping his course
towards the South, silently and rapidly
departed. ~ e s. s
Our traveller was a man of stout
heart and much experience in war; but
the peculiariiy Of his situation, and the
strange event which had just transpired
under his eye, unnerved him completely.
He afterwards acknowledged that he had