Southern shield., 1860-02-04
AN OLD BORDER SETTLER.

From a story of early border life we
 take the following:
 Extraordinary strength and activity, with the most daring courage, and a
 thorough knowledge of life in the woods,
 won for Joshua Fleehart . high reputa- ton among the first settlers of Western Virginia and Ohio. When the Ohio Com pany founded its settlement at Marietta, in Anlil l778 Eleehart Was emplQyed as | q scout aud q hunter. In this service he
 had no superior north of the Ohio. At periods of the greatest danger, when the Indians were known to be much incensed
 against the wllites, he would start from the settlement with no companion but his dog, and ranging within about twen- ty miles of an Indian town, would build his c;tbin and trap and hunt during near ly the whole season. On one occasion
 this reckless contempt of danger almost cost the hunter his life. Having become tired of the sameness of garrison life, and panting for that freedom among the woods and hills to which he had always been accustomed, late in the fall of I795 he took his canoe, rife, traps and blanket, with no one to accompany him, leaving even his faithful dog in the garrison with his family-for he was going into dan gerous neighborhood, and he was fearful lest his bark might betray him.
 With daring and intrepidity, he push ed his canoe up the Sciota river, a dis tance of fifteen or twenty miles, into the Indian country, amidst their best hunting grounds for the bear and the beaver, where no white man had dared to venture. There too were the main objects of his pursuit, as the hills of Brush creek were said to abound in bear, and the small streams that fell into the Sciota were we'll suited to the haunts of the beaver. The spot chosen fer his winters residence was within twenty-five or thirty miles of the Indian town of Chilicothe, but as they seldom go far to hunt in the winter, he had little to fear from their Interruption. For ten or twelve weeks he trapped and hunted in this solitary region unmolested.
 His success had equalled his most san- guine expectations, and the winter pass ed away so quietly and so pleasantly, that he was hardly aware of it's progress.
 About the middle of February, he be- gan to make up the peltry he had captur- ed into packages, and to load his canoe with the proceeds of his winters hunt, which for safety had been secreted in the willows, few miles below the little bark hut in which he had lived. The day be- fore that which he had fixed on for his departure, as he was returning to his camp ;ustat evening, Fleehart sacute car caught the report of a rife in the direction of the Indian town, but at so remote distance. that none than baekwoodsman could have distinguished the sound. This hastened his preparations for decamping. Nevertheless he slept quietly, but rose the following morning before the dawn cooked and ate his last meal in the little hut, to which he had become quite attach ed. The sun had just risen, and he was sitting on the trunk of tree, examining the priming and lock of his gun casual ly casting a look up the river bank, he saw an Indian slowly approaching, with his eyes intently fixed on the ground, 1 carefully inspecting the track of his moe casins left in the soft earth as he return ed to his hut the evening before He in- stantly cooked his gun, stepped behind a tree. and waited till the Indian came within the sure range of his shot. He then fired and the Indian fell
 Rushing from the cover on his prostrate foe he was about to spring the scalping knife; but seeing the shining silver breaches and broad bands on his arms, he fell to cutting them loose, and tucking them into the bosom of his hunting shirt. While buisly occupied in securing the spells, the sharp crack of rifle and the
 III l '-s ofa ball thraur1 4Ie ts,I s,Ilef-pouch