Demoine courier., 1855-09-20
OTTUMWA, IOWA, SEPTEMBER 90 1855:

side The river. Bu, all dag his somewhat
weary heart had been cheered BY those
cnoning sounds that first woke hope =
Now they seemed circling in The air a.
bove him, nov stealing up oui of The
messy ground, and anon floating as j.
were on The breath Of the few flowers
tina, J Ell smiled in Efe. As he neared
the water. louder and %cleare: rang the
notes, and following them. lie was led a
mile or two down The bark TO a spot he
re remembered as one. where the river in
dented The grassy soil with a tiny bay.
Scarcely had he stepped there ere a
light cannoe dared from under a shelly
ing bank. aud at the helm stood the lu-
dian friend. Hugh had shved long en-.
ough with red men TO understand un
spoken language and a sign from his &c
@iiverer was enough to tell him that he
must crouch in the bottom of the ,iny
Graf. and be molion!ess. under some
skins.
The sun sc, and the moon rose and
still the canoe sped on over the blue. calm
waves, and not until midnight was i,
moored. and then Hugh knew that he
wa. safe. To a steep edge OF rocks did
his conductor lead him, and through long
narrow, and dark a~isles. whose bottom,
bul for the friendly moceasins, would
have sadly torn and bruised his feet
AT length they stopped. and the Indian.
releasing his grasp, lighted a torch and
revealed 10 The white man heafaci be had
guessed. hatlhey were deep in the earth
in oae of those wlerd-likes cayerns oil
which legend loves to sing. A fire was
kindied, the smoke somehow inding
vent for itself without, annoying the lock
ers on, and soon over The crimson Goals
.ha. dropped on the rude hearth stone,
was broilet a venison stake that the In
dian had taken from his wild locking
harder; and refreshed and happy, Hugh
in less than two hours after he had en-
tered the cavern, slept soundly on a coach
of dried grass, and drcamad beautiful
visions OF home.
For several days ,Lsy larried there,
the Indian going out each morning. bul
returning regularly al sunset, ard always
bearing a plentiful supply of game
When a week had elapsed. simply say.
ing to Hugh, I'VE go now, they no fiad
u.s. he led him forth and commenced
journey ing towards The south. One night,
after . hey had been long on The road
they walked to 4 much later hour than
usual-waiked I'LL Hugh, who had Ian
cied ~sevtral times through The day hi
discerned familiar trails. aud thought tt
must BIZ close by his home, became los
as il were and followed his guide blindiy
thinking 10 his WEAKNESS aud preplexi,y
he must have been mistaken, and was
still IN a strange wood. Az length the,
rested, but the white man had scarcely,
it seemed 10 him. closed lis ey es ere
his ladian friend awoke him, and togeih
er they ioiled up a steep and wooded hill
that rose directly before them. But the in.
tense. soul thrilling joy o! the long-absen'
one can only be conceived, when. on
reachihg its summit, he beheld close a
hand, the valley Of his choice, the home
oi his heart. s.
When his emotion was some hat pas
sed. he turned 10 his deliserer, and in the
niue but expressive sigE OF Indian Ian
guage told his thanks. The red mar
heard him through, and then pointing a
The dwelling Of Hugh. SAID IN the brieI
words he had learned of English tongue
"Msny moon ago, Indian sick. tired
hungry. He 60 TO white mans cabin
he no turn him off; he give him supper
let him sleep on his skins-take 5lanke
from his pretty squaw; he good TO hin
,.I he wan, to go. 4 that Mdian. Nc
no forget. Now | pay you. Go home.
Oftener than ever did Hugh's linle
ones az they bounded on his knees. beg
for the story of The live Injun;' and
when he had passed away to The green,
siIen, grayey ard, they in turn told tito
their little ones, nor failed to draw from
Il a moral, beautiful and holy as was the
Indians gra,i,ude.