Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-06-01

the larger one 10 be manned. Two Of the
warriors now left their boat and swan for the
shore, but ball from the unerring rifle of
James Smith perforated the skull Of one, who
Immediately sunk the other gained the shore
and escaped. Eight men had, in the mean
time, manned the larger canoe, and were ap-
preaching the Indian boat; but coming near
enough to see the number Of rihe-muzzles over
the edge of the boat, they hastily padded back
to the shore.
Dale, exasperated by this 'clear back out,
as he termedsit, of his men, shouted 10 them
in scornfu tone, TO look and see three brave
and followed by Austill and Smith, he sprang
into the smaller canoe, which the faithful Ca
sar had just brought over. Padding their
canoe directly towards their enemies, they soon
commenced the Canoe Fight proper-so Gel
ebrated in Alabama tradition.
When within twenty PAGES of the Indians,
our heroes arose in their canoe, TO give them
an opening broadside but unfortunately, the
priming of their guns was wet and they failed
to fire. Had not the same accident befallen
the enemy, the result Of the canoe fight might
have been very different. Dale now ordered
Caesar to bring his boat alongside the other,
and hold them together. The warriors, conf
dent of their strength, and eager TO grappe
with three men, whose guns would not fire,
allowed their boat to move leisurely along with
the current. AS the two neared each other,
the chief arose, and with an ejaculation of de-
fance to Big Sam,'* leveled his gun at Smiths
breast ; but before he could draw trigger, The
latter directed a blow at him, which would
have proved fatal had it not been adroitly avoid
ed. The canoes came together with a jar,
which threw Austil slightly off his balance,
and ere lie could regain it, well directed blow
from war club Frustrated him across tho boat.
A half dozen powerful arms were raised to
complete the work, when the neavy rifle Of
Dale came down upon the head of the Chief
with force which sunk it deep into his skull.
Smith had not been less active, and his trusty
barrel had fallen with like effect upon the
skull of another warrior, and the two now felt
their death throes in the bottom of the canoe
Austill had in the meantime recovered, and
added strength 10 the work of destruction.
The bold Caesar held the boats together with
an iron grasp, and with oae foot in each, our
heroes fought. Two ssLcccessive blows from
&c a.
one of whom fell overheard. Thinking to
make sure of his foe by second stroke, Aus
till leaned forward TO strike, when he was
again Frustrated by an Indian club. The ex-
ultinG savage, never forgetful of scalp, raised
the -whoop-seized his victim by the hair
the scalp-knife gllttered in the air, when an
other timely blow from Dale's clubbed rife,
divided his skull. Tradition says, that so
great was the force of the blow, the skull was
split from the crown 10 the yerlebral column.
In the meantime, Smith, at the other end of
the canoe, grappled with two lusty warriors.
He was a powerful man; but the chances
were against him. The iron clutches of one
VI hlo coSdlldhto dlO uJOi illo bilO lOlh-
ahawk of the other above his head He sees
his danger; one foot is in one canoe, one in
the other; with a desperate effort he gets
both feet in one canoe, and draws one Indian
after him, while the sudden movement sepa-
rates the end of the boats and leaves the other
behind, to meet the fate Of those who had al
ready come within the range of Dale's and
Austll's rifles. Smith now had his enemy
in his power, and soon despatched him.
The conflict now became equal-three to
three. The savages, reduced in number from
despair. Light and active, they avoided
many of the blows of the whites and dealt,
in return, such well-directed ones, that they
were beginning to tell in their favor, when
Dale, calling to Caesar to hold the boats firm
ly together, sprang upon one of the seats and
dealt a blow which shivered club which had
been directed to meet it, and levelled another
warrior. The remaining two were left to
have destruction meted to them at the hands
of the victorious Dale who, while Smith
and Austill leaned upon their bloody and
brain-bespattered rifles, despatched them at
two successive blows. During the whole of
this sanguinary conflict, the heroes were en-
couraged by the continued cheers of their
comrades, on either bank. Of the nine war
riors, Smith killed two, Austill two, and Dale
five. Having laid them all low, says Mr..
Pickett, these undaunted Americans began to
cast them into the bright waters Of the Alaba-
ma-their native stream, now to be their grave.
Every time savage was raised up from the
bottom of the canoe, and slung into the water,
the Americans upon the banks sent up shouts
long and loud, as some slight revenge for the
tragedy of Fort Minis. The Indian canoe
presented sight unusually revolting-sever
al inches deep in savage blood-thickened
with clods of brains, and punches of hair, etc.
A few years previous to the canoe fight,
Gen. Dale was engaged In another hand-to-
hand -rencontre, hardly less exciting. There
is so much of the spirit of wild adventure and
romance connected with the incident, we are
surprised that it has not, ere this, been made
the basis of one of our thrilling border tales.
When the Indian hostilities first began to as
sumo a threatening attitude, in consequence
of the Galphinton treaty, a white woman was
seized by party of Indians, and carried into
IL