Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-03-16

4 His conlpanion, who was too busily and
L,atisfactorily engaged in the exercise of
his vocal powers to note the incident, was
quickly out of sight. Scarcely had he
Disappeared, when the young hunter to
his unspeakable terror saw three savages,
in their full war paint, and armed with
rifles. gently put aside the stalks of cane
brake within a hundred feet of his am
bush, and look cautiously in the direction
which Yates had taken. Believing that
they must have seen him step aside and
knowing that they would soon discover,
his whereabouts, when they came to the
spot where he struck off from his COM
rade's trail, he determined to give them
a shot, but such was the tremor OF his
nerves, that, on raising the gun to his
shoulder, it went off. He lost no time in
following its example, and after running
| fifty yards, met Yates, who had heard
the crack of Downing's rifle, and was
hastily retracing his steps. Explanations
were unnecessary. The red skins were
in full view, pressing forward at their ut
most speed, brandishing their guns in the
air, and yelling after a fashion that would
not have disgraced the poets description
of the e' banner cry of hell" Sauve Gui
peut was the order of the day. Yates
was by far the 1eetest runner of the two.
but he was as chivalrous as he was recli-
less, and would have scorned to outstrip
his comrade even in that race for life.
The Indians, who were we'll acquain-
ted with the country. soon struck into a
deer path which diverged from the one
followed by the whites, bearing the same
relation to it that the string does to the
] L
distant more than one hundred yards,
and as the woods were nearly free from
underbrush, the fugitives could see their
fierce enemies gaining upon them at every
bound. The pursued, however, were the
first to reach the angle where the paths
united, and quickly afterwards came a
deep and wide rayine, extending as far as
they could see, directly athwart their
homeward route. 1t was necessary either
to make an attempt to cross or to turn
and face the savages. As may be con-
jectured, they chose the former expert
ment without stopping to reflect. ates
sprang clear over. but Downing, who was
much exhausted by fatigue and terror,
leapt short, and coming with his breast
against the edge of the opposite bank,
rolled down the declevity. The Indians
crossed the gully about 50 yards above, in
eager chase of Yates, without appearing
to see Downing. The young woodsman.
who had at first given himself up for lost,
now felt hope revive within him, and be-
gan to move cautiously along the bottom
| of the ravine. As he advanced, it gradu-
ally became shalower, and at length
ceased to afford him any cover whatever.
/ PeerinT cautiously about as he gained the
! level ground, he saw one of the Indians
returning apparently in quest of him
| Unfortunately he had neglected to load
his gun, as he might easily have done in
the ditch and as an empty rifle was only
an circumference, he dropped it as the sa-
wage advanced upon him and again took
to his heels; but the Indian who ran like
deer, gained upon him so rapidly that
he soon despaired of escape. Coming at
| length to huge poplar, which had been
leveled by the wind, he ran along one
side of it while his pursuer took the 9TH
er, expecting to intercept him at the root.
! But here fortune or Providence interfered
! in most extraordinary manner in poor
! Downing's behalf. Among the wonder
/ full condolences that which saved his life
WAS certainly one of the most wonderful,
and as the circumstance is historically
true, it may e considered as clInching,
beyond all controversy, the fact that truth
is stranger than fiction.
1t happened that large she bear was
sucking her cubs in bed which she
had made at the root OF the tree. The
Indian reached that point first, and the
bear enraged at being disturbed in her
interesting maternal duties, sprang upon
the intruder. A prodigious uproar in
sIantly took place. The Indian yelled
and stabbed at his enemy with the knife
that he had drawn from his belt in anti
cipation of performing certain surgical
operation which he contemplated per-
forming on Dowuing's head the bear
growled and tightened her embraces, and
down they both rolled among the cubs !;
while Downing with a mental prayer for
Bruins success, ran of through the
woods, without waitingto see the event of
the conflict. He reached the fort in safe
ty, and found Yates reposing after a hot
chase, having eluded the redskins and
gained the fort two hours before him.
t On the following morning they collec-
ted party, and paid a visit to the fallen
poplar. Within a few PAGES of its roots
lay the Indian and the bear both dead
The beast had fairly squeezed the breath
of life out of the savage. and then died OF
the knife wounds received in the tight
The cubs were alive, and moaned pite-
ously as they walked around the carcass
of their dead mother, quite regardless of
the presence of the rangers. Downing
took them back with him to the fort,
where he reared them as pets, anil out OF
gratitude for the service rendered him at
the root of the old poplar, he was never
known to engage in bear hunt. or to
speak of the genus otherwise than with