American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-03-01
O ri9inol.
WRITTEN FOR THE AMERICAN UNION.
REC0LLECTIoNs, OR
RHn6IW1ScENSEs.
BY JOSEPH II. POWELL.
CONTINUED.

CONTINUED.
AS soon as father set sail from the
mouth of the Greek, we turned toward
our destined point, being now about 10
o'clock or thereabouts. Levi led the
way straight up to the point at which
he had killed the Indian, though keep
ing little farther from the stream
than we had in descending, and was in
the act Of going down tho bank and
over the Greek to secure the scalp,
when 1 reminded him of fathers part
ing injunction not to cross for fear of
falling under the eye of the companion
of his victim, when he cursed the luck
and desisted in his disobedience.
"Ho then left the creek, bearing
slightly to the right, passing through
what is now the Holland Settlement,
keeping, as it turned out to be, good
direction for White Day, before reach
ing which, however, we took shelter
under some rocks ON small run, drain
ing into Booths Creek, and examined
our guns and ate few bites of dried
venison and piece of Johnny cake,
having no other food with US and but
little of that, knowing when we left
home that if we had luck in getting to
the fort We should not need anything.
Our guns in order, we pushed for
ward in the rain, which had fallen al
most necessarily from about half-past
8 o'clock up to this time, (about 12,)
when the mad roaring of waters warn
ed us of our proximity to White Day.
"The point at which we struck this
stream was just below where the old
Fast Mill now stands; but finding no
place at which to cross, commenced a
descent in search of an opportunity.
We had reachod the sight of Smithfeld,
(now called Smithtown.) The Creek
was very high and rising, and grew Wis
IDLY wider as we descended, so much so
that we began to despair of making
the opposite shore very soon or easily.
But just now, as we continued, to height
en- the perturbed state of our minds,
we came abruptly upon the dead body
of white man, having been shot thro'
with a ball and scalped, the body as yet
exhibiting no signs of putrifaction. 1t
had apparently just been exhumed
from its rude resting place by some
carniyerous animal, which had feasted
on the entrails of the now unconscious
victim to savage ferocity, and was no
doubt lurking in the dense chapparel
near by, that when the sun should have
sunk behind tho western hills, he and
his kindred should return and consum
mate the destruction of the body in q
hideous nocturnal carnival.
This was about halfway between
the towering cliffs of rocks at and be-
low Smithfeld.
Fearing now to pass the lower,
clothed with its towering pines and
prickled hemlocks, and fringcd to its
base with laurel and every conceivable
character of timber and shrubbery
common to the horror-inspiring localf-
ty, we retraced our steps to the eastern
point of the upper ledge, pa ssing around
both and over the site of the late James
q. Watson's residence, striking the
Creek again just at the foot of the
lower cliff, at the narrows.
We had not gone more than hun
dred yards or SO, on our hands and
knees, down the stream, Low carrying
or showing his gun, muzzle foremost,
requiring me to bring mine but or club
forward, when he exclaimed, -" here
is the spot, [ think )" and looking up
through the laurel perceived the ter
minating branches Of a fallen pine, q
few feet over my head.
Levi handed me his gun, and wa
ding into the water waist deep, climbed
up the saplings and branches on to the
trunk of the pine, and discovered that
1T had fallen from point high above
the water on the opposite shore,
was standing on a log Just behind
Levi, and nearly on parallel line with
him, who was hacking with tomahawk
and bending the branches preparatory
to crossing. In doing this great pre-.
caution had to bc preserved, the slight
est strokes being employed in cutting.
But tho dripping of the rain and the
roaring of tho stream deceived him as
to the force of his blows, which perhaps
rang out Ger the dense hammock, In
viting discovery and danger.
"And so it was, for just now the
sharp report Of rifle and the whistle
OF bullet saluted our cars, the latter*
cutting off sour-wood branch within
two inches of my head, brushing the
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"a shnrD whistle. that Ell TIu;o,