Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1851-09-12
5rIrttr0 GaIr.
THE sCALP.HUNTER
ny p

fame of our ancestors Last Of an. would
cast any reflection on thusv frontier heroes
the mcmofy of whose exploits live, In III,
homely chronicles OF Dnkr, or in lhc " col
lcciious" Of some Historical Socie,y or faint
ly survives in the moulierHg pages OF som,
obscure Ms. Yet. lftruih h. told their val
iant deeds were not always achieved unde
the inspiration ol pure patriotism. The back
wooi'mcn II century sinc ,gmstlr~s hut
ei Indians from ihc same motive that urge,
these of our time to hunt wolves; VIA, lh,
bounty on scalrs. Ia the year u which
propose io treat, 1924, the bounty IN New
Hampshire was. II nv rccullrcu,ns Do mol
fail mr, ten pounds not an eighth part of lli,
sum which peaceful and scmpulou, Pennsyl
'anla long ahcrward offered m the dly of hei
distress, when the sl,agcs of the West brok,
IN uPon her froniior How Tar su,h measure,
arr consonan, with religion and morality. - a
question which Flsd.y leave o. b. decided
by Pious Ph,IanlhropI,,s, who ca, form o.,
conception Ut the circumstances which mad,
them occcssary, or propose to relate PLAIN
facts, and leave rccolloruors and inference,
10 my 5clieu Should b. called upon ID
produce authority ur what ,ny. ! am per.
ml,lot to refer to an ancient mlnuscriwdary
kcp, by thc Rev Phircas " Stone. ~ Ports.
month, aud preserved lu ihc small but ,alua,
Die library ofthc New Hampshire Fn,cmit,
ol the ". T.. Ihls, however. relates merely
io ,hc EARLIER part OF our narrative. The rc.
mhInirr mus, b. regarded as of a character
s"meUha jess authentic. as i, rests snlely on
che aulhor,iy Of tradition preserved by icv
old sluaws or the 81 Fur-rs tribe ono Of
whom, rendered guoi-humu-ri and luquaciuus
by the benign lnhucuor, OF bottle Of rum.
told the story a, a huuuHg.camp near Lake
Nrraaiic.
4 Iauy of thc tribe just mrr'iurcd came ln
Iuly, 1924, lo work their usual bul,hcriss up.
ou The back settlers OF New lIamp.hlr, .-
Ergh, white men undertook 90 chl,usr them
and ,rcurc the bounty The ,larcs we're
noN retiring, which they d.I with rrmlrkl.
b'c cgIcfl,, and 90 an unusual ducruol -
The whites plsnrcd into che forest, after
tlrm. lur rrrar., , fortnight lHry hung o0
their rat, ualb.s tp fri ruui opportunity
t1 atprk Thry ,rp~,l ihs.n rr-' IHss Wtu.
u.r.s.o-rr and from thr topul Re- Mountain
saN them rru,' thc beautiful lsc beyond, Boo
two canoes, made hastily uf tr, ur the pur.
ro,e, Again striking rbrrtnI they follow.
ei % some twenty mules farther. into the rr.
rrs'T of those Wild mwHaH that stretch
from lbe present town ct Conway toward lhr
great father Of New EaranI h...s Mean
vhl.rih sa,aFss lu,t aII Suspicion fpunali,
rs MS evident from their careless manner ui
cneamplrg, and the rrca, prot SION of game
which the iionusrsmca found around their
.mouldcnng Grcs
One hot afternoon, the party came 20 ,hc
bruw of PERCEPTIONS hill, luuA uc nurthw1ri,
which commanded wide pru.rert ol ors,s
and lonely mountains. H. a.I publbili,
there was no human bring within the range
of do,cn league, save lbcm,s.,c, ani their
destined prey In u, terrible solitude 10 was
a scene Of more than Alpine sabImliy bot
What chiefly interested the hunters was a
snake that rose dense aud distinct through
the thick carpet ~ boughs at lhs bottom Of a
deep valley joe, below them. The afternoon
sun was beating po~eHulIy on the clIiT where
they sat, and filling the sullry ar with the
rcs,nous odors Of the spruce anil pine that
grew around. They watched lil Il had sunk
belird the bnsiling hrs On the ridge Of The
western mountain; and then, as the usual
crimson hue Of an American sunset, which
bad sullused the whole landscape TUNED To a
gray uh'curIiy, and the hali.,aucd wolves
began To call and reply from opposite hills,
they descended and Croped their way toward
their victims. With grca, difficulty and dan.
ger they managed To surround the fires of the
sa'agcs. Their motives were none Of the
most mlgnanmous, It is true, but one can.
no, help admlnng the hardlho3d Of thus as
sailing a very superior iurcs 10 wilderness
whose savage features were II themselves sui.
Gcien, to an with awe and terror any but the
manifest heart.
Il useless 10 dwell on The incidents Of the
irnoble and desperate conflict tia, followed.
The white men had to Ie nai On the ground
for hours, before the las, savage had wrapped
himself in hrs blanket snd laid down. They
counted eleven Indians around tie two fires.
1t vas now near midnight; the damp air Of
the forest vas very chill, and the fires had
sunk To glowing piles Of Goals, that shed
dim ruddy light on the sleepers, the mossy
trunks Of the trees, and the thick underground
around the spot. The leader Of the whites
was abort to give the signal, when an Indian
turned IN his sleep, murmured and finally
arUse awakened apparently by the cold
Dropping his blanket, he approached the Ere,
and stirred tie embers with stick; when a
steam Of cracking sparks few upward, Illu.
minating fUr a moment the distorted bonghs
'and shadowy leaves. This sudden light va,
answered by a scream 50 piercing and unearih.
ly, that the frontiers men started a, thier
posts; and with a loud tapping Of wings
among branches overhead, a huge dark bird
sailed or into the depths of,h forest. the
Indian Immediately took handful Of tobacco
from pouch by his side, and scattered ii on
] the Goals, as an offering to the Grea, Horned