The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-04


vi IScIDEETs.
/ Ths Incidents, it must be supposed, Of expe-
ditions Of this sort ara many aud striking Ex-
posed to danger on everv side, bv floods, by
tcmpests, by fires, BY wild beasts, and by the
hands OF man, his life was perpetual scene Of
vic'ss'tades and Adventures. Some of these it
may Dc entertaining N refer to. AT one time,
10 tne month OF November, travelling through
'i'e oarrens OF Kentucky, he remarked a sudden
ana strange darkness issuing from the western
horizon At first he supposed it might be a
coming storm OF thunder and rain. He had pro-
cceded about a mile, when he heard what he
Imagined 10 be the distant rambling OF a yio-
lent tornado. He spurred his horse, with the
I view OF galloping to place of shelter, but the
'ama', apparently more sagacious than the rider,
reariy stopped, or rather moved forward slowly,
placing one foot before the other, with US much
precanilon as If walking on a smooth sheet Of
ice. lie dismounted to ascertain what was the
matter, when the stecd fell to grooming piteously
hung his head, spread out bis forelegs, as if to
save himself from falling, and stood stock still
az tilat instant, all the shrubs and trees began
10 move from their very roots, and the ground
rose and fell in successive burrows, like the ruff
| fled waters of sea- 1t was an earthquake
VINO can tell Of the sensations experienced"
writes our naturalist, "when rocking on my
borse and with him e owed to and fro like child
IN his cradle, with the most imminent danger
around, and expecting the ground every moment
10 open, and present to my eyes such an abyss
as a., might ingulf myself and all around me!--
Inc fearful CONFUSION, however, lasted only a
lew minutes, and the heavens again frightened
as quickly as they had become obscured nv
horse broaght his feet to their natural position
raised his head, and galloped off as if loose and
frolicking without rider"
Not to the fury Of the elements alone was our
intrepid man Of science exposed Once
and, singular to say, only once. in wandering for
twenty years--was he threatened with death by
the hand of man. This was, when returning
from the Upper Mississippi, he was forced to
cross one OF the wide prairies of that region
We must let him relate it. Toward the dusk Of
the evening wearied with an nterminable iaunt
over the prairie, he approached light that feeby
shone from the window of a log hut. He reached
the spot, and presenting himself at the door,
asked tall figure of a woman, whether he night
take shelter under her roof. Her voice Was
gruff, and her dress careessy thrown about her
person She answered his question in the affirm
ative when he walked in, took a wooden stool,
and quietly seated himself by the fire. A finely
formed young Indian, his head resting between
his hands, with his elbows on his knees, was
seated in the centre of the cabin A long bow
stood against the wall, while quantity of ar
rows and two or three black raccoon-skins Law
at his feet He moved not he apparently
brcathed not. Being addressed in French, he
raised his head, pointed to ono OF his eyes with
his hnger, and gave significant glance with the
other His face was covered with blood 1t
appeared, that an hour before, in the act of dis
| charging an arrow at a racoon, the arrow split
upon the chord, and sprang back with such vio-
lence into his right eye, as to destroy it for ever
"Feeng hungry MIR. Audubon continues
his narrative, :" ! inquired what sort of fare
might expect. Such thing as bed was not
to be seen, but many large Unframed bear and
buffalo hides lay piled up in corner. drew
hne tme-piece from my vest, and told the wo-
man that it was late, and tina. was fatigued
She had espied my watch, the richness of which
seemed to operate upon her feelings with cleo
trio quckness. She told me that there was
! plenty of venison and jerked buffalo meat, and
that on removing the ashes should find cake.
But my watch had struck her fancy, and her Gu
riosity had to be gratted with sight of it.
took Oft the gold chain that secured it, from
around my neck, and presented it to her. She
was all ecstacy, spoke of its beauty, asked me
its value, put the chain around her brawny neck,
saying how happy the possession of such chain
would make her. Thoughtless, and, as fan
cled myself in so restired spot, secure, | paid
! little attention to her talk or her movement
helped my dog to good supper of venson, and
was not long in satisfying the demands Of NV
own appetite. The Indian rose from lis seat
as if in extreme suffering. He passed and re-
passed me several times, and once pinched me
On the side 50 violently that the pain nearly
brought forth an exclamation ofanger looked
at HIM. til eye met mine; but his look was
so torbidding that it struck chill into the more
nervous part of my system. He again seated
himself drew Il bu,cher-knife from its greasy
scabbard, examined its edge, as would do that
OF a razor suspected to be dull, replaced it, and
again taking his tomahawk from his back, filled
the pipe of it with tobacco, and sent me express
sive glances whenever our hostess CHANGED to
have her back toward us. Never till that mo-
ment had my senses been awakened to the
danger which | now suspected to be about me.
| returned glance for glance with m, companion.
and rested well assured that, whatever enemies
l might have, he was not of the number"
In the mean time, he retired to rest upon the
skins, when two athletic youths, the sons of the
woman, made their entrance She whispered
with them little while, when they fell to eating
and drinking, to a state bordering on intoxica-
ton Judge OF my astonishment," he saws,
"when | saw this ncarnate fiend take large
carving-knife, and go to the grind-stone to whet
its edge! saw her pour the water on the turn
| mg-machlne, and watched her working away
| with the dangerous instrument, until the sweat
covered every part Of my body, in spite of nv
determination to defend myself to the last. Her
task finished, she walked to her Keeling sons,
and said -" There, that'll soon settle him =
Boys, kill yon -, and then for the wa'ch p
turned cooked my gun locks silently, and lay
ready to start up and shoot the first who might
attempt my life Fortunately, two strangers
entering at the moment, the purpose of the
woman was disclosed, and she and her drunken
sons secured.
VII. A GREAT DISASTER.
| But no earthquakes, nor hurricanes, nor the
carving-knife of the wild denizens of the desert,
could afflict him half so much as he suffered in
consequence of an attack by wild and ferocious
ADMINISTRATION more nor less than-a rat II
was a calamity, the like of which is seldom re.
corded in literary history. Edward Livingston,
| "a = 4