The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1854-03-03
Irrom the Autobiography Of Rev. J, b. Finley
THE TWO SPIES.

H . 4 -
As early as the year 1890 the block>
house and s'ockade above the mou;h Of
the Hooking River, was frontier post
for the hardy pioneers of the North IVES
,ern Territory. There nature was in her
mndisiurbedlvery Of dark and thick fur>
esls interspersed with green and flowing
prairies. Then lhe forest had not heard
the sound Of the woodman's axe; nor lhc
,plow oftho husbandman opened the bo-
som of the earth. Then The beautiful
prairits waved their golden bloom ip the
God Of nature; and among she most lux
uiani eftl,esc we're those which lay along
The Hooking Valley, and especially that
portion Of i, on which the town OF Lan~
caste, now stands. This place, for beau
~, its richness of soil, and picturesque
SCENERY, was selected as location for an
Indian village. This afforded suitable
place for The gambol Of the Indian SPORTS
men, as we'll as central spo, for concen
,tatine the Indian warriors. .g
Here the Tribes of the north and west
met TO counsel, and from this spot led
forth the war-path in different directions.
Upon one of these occasions, when the
vas spiri, moved nightly among the sons
of nature, and the tomahAwk leapcd in It's
scabbard aud the Splits of their friends
who had died in The field ol battle, visit
cd the warrior IN his night visions and
called loudly for revenge, il was ascer-
iained al the garrison above the mouth OF
The Hooking river, that The Indians were
gathering in grea, numbers for the pur'
pose Of striking blow on some post o
the frontiers. To meet this crisis two o
%, the most skilled aud indefatigable spies
were dispatched TO watch their move
ments and report. arg ees .,.aa4.
M'Cleland and White, two spirits !ha
never quailed atdanger, and as uncon-
querable as the Lybian lion, in the month
of October, and on one Of the basmy days
of Indipn summer, took leave OF Their Tel,
lows and moved on through the thick
plum and hazel bushes with the noiseles:
n, iread Of ponihers, aimed with theli pg uner,
ring anI trusiy rifles. They contInuec
ther march skirling the prairies, ill they
reached that most remarkable promn
ence, now known by the name Of Noun
o Pleasant, the western termination ofwhlcl
is perpendicular cliff Of rocks Of som'
hundreds Of feet high, and whose sum
q nit, from a western view, towers to th'
Illclouds and overlooks the vast plains be
low. When this spot was gained, ou
hardy spies held a position from whlcl
idi the could see every movement Of th'
Indians below in the valley. ? 9goas
0 oet Every day added a new accession o
warriors TO the company. The, witnes
j sed their exercises Of horse.Facing, run
ming 2ioot-races, Jumping, throwing III
,omahawk and dancing, the old sachem
= looking on with Indian Indifference, th'
/, 4 squaws engaged in their usual drudgsry
> and the children engaged in their play
Ia ful gambols. The arrival Of 2 new war
/, rior, was greeted with terrible shouts
(which striking the mural face Of Noun
Pleasant, were driven back in the vari
Gus. identaiions Of the surrounding hills
% ptoducing reverberaiiohs and echoes as
ten ihousand fiends we're gathered at
universal leyee. Such yells would hav
struck terror TO those unaccustomed 4
Indian revelry. toi9BTq 1asg pdl 4.
70" 10 our spies this: was but martial mu
o ssic-strains which walked thsif watchful
Q sness,and newly strung their veteran cour
81 age From their early youth they ha,
been On the frontier, and we're we'll prac
tieed ia all the subtiliiy, craft and cum