American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-02-23


volunteered to swim for it, while they
should cover his coolRess with their
deadly rifles. He had about reached
the craft when father drifted round the
point into the mouth of the creek, and
was hailed by some one of the crowd
below Spcight, as to what was the mat
ter.
"All is WE'LL" he said, which ran
through the eager crowd like an cleo
trio shock, quieting Mt once their fears
and wailings. But Immediately sue
coeded such wild shout of JOY that
poor Speight, ignorant of all that had
passed, mistook it for genuine Indian
attack, which impression so affected his
nerves that he could not loose the craft,
and standing on the shore, commenced
wringing his hands and screaming in
the widest manner -" Oh |! minc Got!
Mino Got! Tunder and blixin! Oh!
Shute EN- !--Shute en-! Shake Spei-
ler, will you shute nopody for mel
"At this crisis in Speight's affairs,
some one for mischief fred off his gun,
and father stepped up in his rear, which
he perceived through the bushes, though
failed to recognize him, poor Speight
sprang into the Creek with a frantic
scream, which eclipsed all his former
efforts if possible, and in dozen strokes
ne struck the opposite shore, where he
was hailed with the Widest expressions
of JOY and merriment, though not al
together unmingled with sorrow for
his severe fright.
Father, descending the bank, got
into the canoe and padded over, when
he soon explained matters in connection
with his detention, &c.
she and four others swan their
horses over the Greek about noon, and
rode to the scene of the drift dam but
on nearing it his horse refused to be
urged to the spot. Hating within a
hundred yards or so of it, they ahght-
cd, and hitching their animals, walked
down. There lay the brawny son of
the forest just as We had left him in the
morning, and fathers gun standing at
! the root Of the tree, while the Indian g
lay near where he attempted to unsnd-
die Charley, preparatory to q ride, as
was supposed. LIE must have thought
the horse without an owner near at hand
so early in the morning, as he was
standing unhitched; but the great Won
der is that he suffered the Indian to ap-
tproaeh him at all without giving Us
some signs Of alarm at the approach
of the red stranger.
Had the Indian camo along a few
moments sooner, while we we're yet on
the drift, and discovered fathers gun,
he might have killed OF caused the
drowning of all of us. But it does
now really seem to mo that Providence
ever threw in the scale of fate chances
favorable to the whites.
Dragging The savage from the wa
ter, his feathered cap was seen to have
been cut by the bullet from fathers
gun, close down to the hair, lock of
which being cut off, lie had an ele-
CANT gun, considerable ammunition, a
tomahawk and scalping knife, and be.
tween forty and fifty dollars in gold
and silver, which fell to Levi, accord
ing to the custom Of the times, & which
he divided with father. The Indian
had also iii his possession two scalps,
not yet dry,--one from the head Of a
male and the other from q female, as
determined by the length of the hair.
The body was concealed beneath the
drift and branches of underground at
the edge Of the water, out of the reach
J of wild beasts, being the most honora-
bic rite Of sepulture they could perform
under the circumstances
cod Aunt Bette Jeffcs used to tell
that she had sat in the door Of the old
moss-ccyered mill, forty odd years ago,
aud listened to the plaintiye song of a
fairy, and some folks were superstitious
enough to believe that it was the spirit
OF the Indian, chanting at evontido in
this lone solitude, mournful requiem
over the scene Of its last mortal strife,
and the waning forests of its slumbor-
| ing fathers and scattered kindred.
"Tho evidence Of Bridget M'Calla-
CHAN may not be upintorcsting to the
curious in matters of this kind. Sho
was maid to Aunt Bette, and spright-
| ly lass she was, considering all things.
She had no learning, but was none the
less truthful for that, / imagine. She
declared, on one occasion, in my pres
encc, in Jeffcrsonyillc, Indiana, that
sho had sat for hours and listened to
this fairy or spirit music, but that in
time she had become so accustomed to
it that sho paid little or no attention to