New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-08-20
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LEWIS xTE91BB.
BY F. B. P1rMprox.

J
which have been published, An imperfec
tch Of his life Is given in Doctor Doddridge'
otes on the Settlement and Indian Wars in tbs
stern parts of Virginia and PenrByfyania !"
k now out of print, but aside from its specula
dissertations. among the most valuable cor
utions to the history Of the West.l -
J..
Stout-hearted Lewis Wetzel
Rode down the river shore,
The wilderness behind him
And the wilderness before.
He rode in the cool Of morning,
Hulnning dear old tune, " ""
Into the heart of the greenwood,
Into the heart of june.
He needs no guide in the forest, @
More than the hunter bees;
His guides are the cool green moses
To the northward Of the trees. t
Nor fears he the foe whose footstep
Is light as the summer air
The tomalawk hangs in his shirt-belt,
And the scalp knife glitters there
The stealthy Wyandots tremble,
And speak his name with fear,
For his aim is sharp and deadly,
And his rifles ring is clear. =. ~
So, pleasantly rode he onward,
Pausing to hear the stroke
OF the settlers AK in the forest,
Or the crash Of falling oak;
Pausing at times to gather .'...."
The wild fruit overhead,
tFOr in this rarest of June days
The seryice-berries were red y
And as he grasped the full boughs
To bend them down amain,
The dew and the blushing berries
Fell like an April rain.
The partridge drums on the dry oak,
The croaking corby caws,
The blackbrd sings in the spice-bush,
And the robin in the haws.
And as they chatter and twitter, l.. .-
The wild birds seem to say,
e Do not harm us, good Lewis,
And you shall have luck to-day"
So, pleasantly rode he onward,
Till the shadows marked the noon,
Into the ieafy greenwood,
Into the heart of June. .....--.
Now speed thee on, good Lewis,
For the sultry sun goes down, #..0
The hillside shadows lengthen,
And the eastern sky is brown.
Now speed thee where the river =m.... d
Creeps slow in the coVerts cool,
And the lilies nod their white bells A."
BY the margin Of the pool
He crossed the silver Kaska,
With its chestnut-covered hills,
And the fetlocks of his roam steed
We're wet in a hundred rllls. mr
And there,' he cried in transport,
" The alders greenest grow,
Where the wild stag comes Tor water,
And her young fawn leads the dee
Grasping his trusty rife,
He whistled his dog behind, .>.#
Then stretched his finger upward
To know how set the wind. t ... o.
Osteady grew the strong arm,
And the hunters dark eye keen,
AS he saw the branching antlers @@
Through the alder thickets green.
A sharp, clear ring through the greenwood
And with mighty leap and bound,
The pride of the Western forest
Lay bleeding on the ground. 1..-.
Then out from the leafy shadow
A stalwart hunter sprang,
And his unsheathed scalpknife glittering
Against his rifle rang.
And who are you" quoth Lewis,
"That comes 'twiXt me and mine ?"
And his cheek was flushed with anger,
As Bacchant's flushed with wine.
"What boots that to thy purpose?n
The stranger hotly said;
al marked the prize when living, .
And it is mine when dead"
Then their sinewy arms were grappled,
And they wrestled long and we'll,
Till stretched upon the greensward
The humbled hunter fell.
upspringing like a panther,
In pain and wrath he cried,
q Though your arms may be the stronger,
Our rifles shall decide"
"Stay, stranger quoth good Lewis,
The chances are not even;
Who challenges my rifle
Should be at peace with Heaven.
i" Now take this rod of alder,
And set by yonder tree,
4 hundred yards beyond me,
And wait you there and see.
s.For he who dares such peril
But lightly holds his breath: -a@
May his unshrived soul be ready
To welcome sudden death "
50 the stranger took the alder,
And wondering stood to view,
While WetZefs aim grew steady,
And he cut the rod in two.
BY heaven!'' the stranger shouted,
Zone only, far or nigh,
Hath arms like the 1.-THE young ash-tree,
Or half SO keen an eye;
And that is Lewis Wetzel y ~
Quotl Lewis, :. Here he stands:H
So they spoke in gentler manner,
And clasped their friendly hands.
Then talked the mighty hunters,
Till the summer dew descends,
And they who met as foemen
Rode out of the greenwood friends
Rode out of the leafy greenwood
As rose the yellow moon, ~
And the purple hills lay pleasantly
In the softened air of June.
= From Poets and Poetry of the West.s
1T, Foster Co., Columbus. o. Qn Press.)
Experienced hunters, it is well known, f
heir way through painless forests without the
t a compass, guided only by the MOSES Q
nchens which are partial to the north side of tre
1t was custom among pioneer hunters Isl
when on hunting expeditions, and
he vicinity of favorite hunting grounds, to thr
he forefnger into the mouth, and when heated
old it out in the air. By this means they read
elected the course of the wind.
country sehoolmaster one day announced
is pupils that the examination would soon tt
lace.
aft you are examined in geography" said
you will surely be asked of what shape the wo
!; and if you should not remember, just look
ne, and [ will show you my snuti-boN to remind J
t is round.'