Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-05-13

win be as much as your lives are worth to ven
ture a foot from the main currentof the Ohio
for news reached us the other day, that man,
boats had been attacked this spring. and ssvera
lost, with all ON board. aEna ygeT
stNo one feels more concerned about the SAT-
passage of Miss Bertrand than myself" replied
Eugene, in deferential tone sand since GU
arrival here, have left nothing undone that
thought might possibly addto her security anS
lcomfort wf.5
That is true, to my personal knowledge
Joined in the uncle of Blanche and thani
you, Mr.. Fairfax, in behalf of my fair kinswo'
man, There will, perhaps" he pursued, ! b
no great danger, so long as you keep in the cur
rent; but your watch must not be neglected fol
single moment, either night or day and Dc
not, most solemly charge and warn you, IN
der any circumstances, or on any pretenee what
soever, suffer yourselves to be decoyed to eth
| er shore,''
81 hope we understand our duty better, Col
onel," said one of the men, respectfully. 3
- doubtit not, replied the commander o.
the Point; :" believe you are all faithful and
| true men, or you would not have been selected
by the agent Of Colonel Bertrand, for taking
down more precious freight than you ever car
ried before but still the wisest and the best OF
men have lost iheir lives by giving ear to the
most earne st appeals of humanity. You under
stand what mean White men apparently in
1
sent themselves as having just escaped fromthe
| Indians, and beg of you, for the love of God, in
the most piteous tones, TO come to their relief
but turn a deaf ear to them--to each and all OF
them--even should you know the pleaders to be
of your own kin; for in such case your own
| brother might deceive you--not wilfully and vol
unfairly, perhaps-but because of being gosd-
| ed on by the savages, themselves concealed
| Yes, such things have been known as one friend
being thus used to lare another to his dcstruc-
ton; and so be cautious, vigilant, brave and
true, and may the good God keep you all from
harmr' t.f.s
As he finished speaking, Blanche proceeded to
| take an afectionate leave of all, receiving mapy
tender message for her parents from those VINO
held them in love and veneration; and the boat
| swung out, and began to float down with the
current, now fairly entered upon the most dan
gerous portion of long and perious journeys
| The father of Blanche. Colonel Philip Ber-
trand, was n native of Virginia, and descendant
! of one OF the Huguenot refugees, who fed from
| their native land after the revocation of the
sdict of Nantz in 1665. He had been an officer
| of some note during the Revolution warm
political and personal friend Oft the author Of the
Declaration of Independence-and gentleman
who had always stood high in the esteem of his
associates and contemporaries. 4 se ea
Though at one time man of wealth, Colonel
Bertrand had lost much, and suffered much,
through British invasion; and when, shortly az
| ter the close of the war, he had met with a few
| more serious reverses, he had been fain to ac-
cept grant of land. near the Fall of the Ohio,
now Louisville, rendered him by Virginia, which
then held Jurisdiction over the entire territory
now constituting the State kentucky. .aa \
The grant had decided the Colonel upon seek
ing the new possessions and building up a new
home in the then Far West, and as his wife had
insisted upon accompanying him ON his first
tour. he had assented to her DESIRE on con lition
that Blanche should be left among her friends,
till such times as a place could be prepared
which might in some degree be considered fit
abode for one so carefully and tenderIy reared
Blanche would gladly have gone with her pa
rents; but on this point her father had been in-
Notwithstanding that she would have 10 re-
main at the East till he should see proper to
send for her; and as he was man of positive
character, and rigid disciphnarian, the matter
had been settled without argument. e. s@
When Colonel Bertrand removed to the West,
Eugene Fairfax, as We have seen, accompan-
led him; and coming of age shortly after, he had
accepted the liberal offer of his noble benefac-
tor, to remain with him in the capacity of pri-
vate secretary and confidential agent On tax
ing possession of his grant, the Colonel had al
most Immediately erected fort, and offered such
inducements to sett ers to speedily collect
around him quite little community--of which,
as a matter OF course, he became the head and
chief; and to supply the wants of his own fami-
ly and others, and increase his gains in legiti-
mate way, he had opened store, and filled it
with goods from the Eastern marts which goods
were transported by land over the the mountains
TO the Kanawha, and thence by water to the
Falls of the Ohio, whence their removal to Fort
| Bertrand became an easy matter. To purchase
| and ship these goods, and deliver package of
letters to friends in the East, Eugene had been
| thrice dispatched--his third commission also
extending to the escorting of the beautiful heir
ess, with her servants, to her new home. The
last commission mad been so far executed at the
time chosen for the opening of our story, as to
| bring the different parties to the mouth Of the
| great kanawha, whence the reader has seen them
slowly floating off upon the still, CLASSY bosom OF
the ''bello of rivers
The day, which was an suspicious one, passed
without any thing occurring worthy Of note, un-
til near four o'clock, when, as Blanche was
standing on the deck gazing at the lovely scene
which surrounded her, she saw seeming ly
/ flying body suddenly leave limb of gigantic
tree, (whoso mighty branches extended far ever
the river, and near which the boat was then
swayed by the action of the current) and alighi
with crash upon the deck of the boat, not
more than eight feet from her. One glance suf.
] flee to show her what the object was and to
/ freeze the blood in her veins The glowing eyes
ola huge panther met her gaze. The sudden.
ness of the shock which this discovery gave hen
i was oyerpowering With deafening shrek she
fell upon her knees and clasped her hands be-
/ fore her breast. The panther crouched for his
deadly leap, but ere he sprang, the hunting knife
/ Of Eugene Fairfax (who, with the steersrnan,
! was the only person on deck besides Blanche),
was buried to the hlt in his side, inaicting Sc
! we're but not fatal wound. The Infatuated beast
stonce turned upon Eugene, and deadly strug-
| gle ensued. % Bnt it was short one. The pol.
ished blade of the knife played back and forth
like lightning flashes, and at every plunge il
/ was buried to the hilt in the panthers body,
whe soon fell to the deck, dragging the daunt-
less Eugene with him. On seeing her protector
fall, Blanche uttered another shrek and rushed
to his aid !; but assistance from stouter arms was
at hand. The boatman gathered round, and the
savage monster was. literally hacked in pieces
with their knives and hatchets, and Eugene, Gov
cred with blood, was dragged from under his car.
cass. Surprising him to be dead or mortally
wounded, Blanche threw her arms around bis
neck and gave way to passionate burst Of
grief. But he was not dead-he was net even
hurt with the exception of few slight scratch
es. The blood with which he was covered wsa
the panther's not his own. But Branches EN-
| brace was his-a priceless treasure--an index
of her hearts emotion and affections 1t was &c
color his whole future life, will be ssenin the
progress of our story.
Slowly and silently, save the occasional creak
|, dip. and splash of the steersman oar, the boa
Of our veysger was borne along upon the bo-
; som .of the current, on the third night of the
voyage. The hour was waxing late, and Eu
gene, the only one astir except the watch, wa.
] suddenly startled, by rough hand being place.
upon his shoulder, accompanied by the words
I in the gruff voice of the boatman:
, Al saw, Cap'n here's trouble =
What is it, Dick ~ inquired Eugene, start
; ing to his feet.
q Don't Won se- thar,s n heavy fo1 rising
! that'l soon kiver us up so thick that we won
be able to tell white man from nigger q
replied the boatman-Dick Winter by name:
1: tail. bony. muscular. athletic specimen Of hi