Demoine courier., 1855-09-13
A 7 By CROCKETT.


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The following story told b, Col. Gro
:cke,t will give soma idea OF the trials
and dangere Of ackwoodsman's life:
IL had been al home acme ,imes-rhe
weather was so cold ] didn't care much
'bou, hunting, and Rees and a friend oil
his come over TO my house one evening
and asked me VI | didn't want to go down
TO the Shakes and take a bear hunt.
told 'em | didn't care much abou, it; but
if they wanled me to 60. Id 60 with 'em;
90 next morning we fixed up, got our
PACK horses, end of we started for The
Shakes.
We pitched our tent right On the bank
of one Of those lakes made by the Shakes
and commenced hunting; we were toler.
ably successful; there was nothing strange
abou, any Of our hunts, only bear hun,
ing 10 always the hardest work a man
can be at. We killed our game aud salt.
ed itaway as usual; and on the third day
it was so cold, and there was SO much
snow on the ground, ,ha. We oil came TO
our ;ert earlier. than usual; VI made US
a good FIRE and were living around il,
when Mr.. Mars. who had been to Mills
Point, rode up. lie 60, down and told
Us tha, he was obliged TO be az The land
Office very early nex morning. and if we
wo'd set him across the lake 'twould
save him The trouble ol riding round il,
which was abou, twenty miles out of his
way.
There was an old fla, lying on the
shore; but We all told him we couldn't;
twas too cold, and we were tired. Bat
he KEEP. begging US. saying ne was OBJ
liged to be there; and after a while he
pulled out a bottle OF whisky and passed
i, round. We soon empiied il, and il
made me feel IN a heap bette, hamor; SO
when Mars Tell to ~persuadin' US again.
said | would Sc, him across, If one of
tie others would help me. Rsss said he
would. and Mars being in a great hurry,
we wen, down to the lake, and getting
his horse in, we pushed of. Twas a
mighty rough establishment, oars and
all. The oars were covered with ice.
and The old boat had . LOT of snow IN it and
she leaked mighty badly; but thought
she would carry US over; SO after we had
started OF Mars said if we carried him
straight aeross he would have 10 swim a
sIue. and there was so much mushy ice
in il, he didn'i believe he could get his
horse across; bu, II we would land him
up the lase he could get on safe. To 60
straight, across was about . mile, but 10
60 where Mars wanted US, was about
three. However, we were all in right
good humor, and the Sun was rather bet.
ter than two hours high; 90 we agreed
to land him where he wished.
We pulled away, and just az we GO,
abou, the middle of The lake, HE horse
made some motion in the boat, and set
her to leaking worse than bsfore. told
Mars she't sink il he didn't bail her, so
he took his hat and went to work, We
pulled as hard as we could, and Mars
worked mighty hare; but the water run
in as fast as he could ge, il out. By and
by, though we GO. 10 the bank, and jus,
as Mars went TO lead his horse out. the
whole bottom went down. Il had only
been pinned on. and the weight Of the
horse broke i, loose. Rees and ! were
a lille wet, and when we got upon the
bank we Sidn'tknow what to do. Mars
looked halt frozen with HE Wet hat, and
his horse was shivering; he had 10 ride
abou, fifteen miles, or a little upwards
before he could get TO a house; and we
were there without a horse, separated by
a lake from our tent, and had nothing TO
strike a IRE. Mars said he could do
nothing for US, for he was almost froze,
anc mus. 60 on, as he had a long way to
ride, and twas getting late. i told him
'iwasn't worth while for him 10 stay, and
off he started. We hooked al him TILL he
got gu, Of sight, and we didn'i know
what to do. =
Well, there was Rees and ! shivering
and we must either &c, back to our ten,
or freeze to death. l recollected. here
was, right opposite to where we started
from. q canoe; but twas two miles 10
that place, and then to get 10 il, we would
have to cross the very slue which Mar.
had been afraid Of swimming. This wa,
the ONLY chance. told Rees ',wasn'
worth while to consider-shat there wal
no Two ways about tive mus, do il o.
die. So oil we started. When we GO
to the slue, twas az Mars said, covered
with mushy ice, and about thirty or forty
yards across. W. were saighty cold
and il made tho chills run oter me Il
look al il I called 10 Ress. and told hin
az he was ,%sllest, be muss 60 FIRST. III,
d'idn's speak but waded right in; b,
seemed h think il was death anyhow
and was resigned TO his fate. Iwaiches
him az he wen, along. Il kept getting
deeper and deeper. till for nearly invent,
yards be walked along with nothing on
but his head. Alter he got out l starte'
in. and for nearly twenty yards l had 4
tiptoe. and throw my head back and III
ice Just came along up 10 my ears-'Wa
this soft ice made Of snow. l didn'
speak; " g were too near dead to job
each other.
We went down 10 the lake, and .ber
we found tho canoe. Twas nearly In
OF snow and water. and | Sc. to work 1
clear her out, and when though, .twoul
- MM-Aa- ZEE.