The Shreveport weekly news., 1861-04-29

stout staff Of iron-wood in my hand,
and with one well-aimed blow laid
the creature. dead before me. 1t was
nearly seven feet long, its tail. which
I cnt of. consisted Of twenty joints or
was not sorry / had sue
ceeded in despatching it; for though
my blazing fire was, knew. sufficient
to protect me from its near approach,
yet l doubt, if / should have COM
posed snyself to sleep quite so COM
fortably, had it escaped into the
thicket.
Alter had finished my supper, and
my fire with fuel, so laid
on as to prevent its burning away too
l spread my blanket, arranged
my saddle-bags for bolster and pillow,
and laid me down. But there was,
if I may SO express myself, an op-
pressive stiffness around, which kept
me awake for some time. Humboldt
speaks of the deep impression made
by nature whenever man finds him
self in company with her alone; and
this impression l had frequently felt
during the day, when. look where l
would, my eyes rested upon no object
which linked me with my fellow
creatures: but, at this moment, it
was not only more intense-it partook
of emotions which, in their character.
wore both awful and melancholy
The solitude of night, even in a
crowded city, is solemnly impressive.
What then must it be. when 1t
deepens the solitude of the wilder
ness?-wben, to the consciousness OF
utter loneliness are added that visible
gloom which contracts the boundaries
of sight, and those audible sounds
which proclaim the surrounding desc
lation? The air. was loaded with
these sounds that told the dismal
tale, and fancy clothed them all in its
own livery. AS / lay gazing at the
quiet moon. the trickling murmur of
innummerabie springs flowing over
pebbly beds, or through channels
fringed with rank berbage-,he din
Of the distant watertalls--the roar of
some cateract-the howl of the wolf
the deep hoarse croak of the frogs in
the neighhoring swamps-and the
drowsy buzz of insects wheeling, fut-
tering, and dancing in the mconbea,ns,
seemed to invade my ears with inces-
SAINT and confused repetition. Nor
could I wholly dismiss from my
thoughts all recollection of the event
which had given to the place its
omnious name-the Murder Greek ::
for, no, n hundred yards from me, the
blackened stump of tree still marked
the spot which had witnessed the
frightful massacre.
Insensibly, however, sleep began to
steal over me, and ! was sinking into
Irepose, when / heard a rustiing among
the bushes, and the quick tread of
feet. turned my head in the direc
ton of the sound, and saw an Indian
seated on the stump l have just men
toned, gazing steadily at me. l
neither spoke nor moved: and he was
equally silent and motionless. / do
not think that he was aware that
was awake and looking a, him. BE
was tall, Of a robust make, and his
attitude, as he sat, full Of that native
grace and dignity which have so fire.
qusutly been described as peculiar TO
some tribes OF these children of the
woods. His dress was eloquent and
, picturesque, consisting Of a sort OF
loose gown Of red and blue cotton,
with the hem highly ornamented, and
fastened round the waist by richly
embroidered belt. in which were his
tomahawk, scalping- knife, and shot.
pouch. On his legs he wore mocas
sins of brown deer-skin, and from his
neck hung protusion of silver orna
ments, some shaped like circular plate:
and others of the form of shining
crescents. Over his shoulders hung
his quiver and sheaf Of arrows; anc
on his head he wore Il white cottoI
u,rhan, from behind which nodded .
small plume of black feathers. II
his hand he held gun, and athwar
his body, obliquely. crossing his lef
shoulder, and hanging below his riSht
his bow was slung.
! l had full leisure to note all thes
things, for there he sat, the moon
light falling brightly and silentl.
upon him. There he sat, and his ey
was as brightly and as silently upo
me. 1t twas like fascination. ! coul
only look at him, and breathe softly
as if I feared to disturb the warr.io,
r doubted whether hadindeed hear
his approach, OF whether the form | be
, held had not grown like a vision upo
| my sight In this manner l lay tc
| nearly half an hour, (such at leas
, seemed the time to me,) till my ey,
, balls ached with gazing; and sti
r the figure was there, while not mu
Gle of his face o. body betrayed b
$ its motion ,ha, it was living man
!. gazed upon. l closed my eyes for
a moment, to relieve the intolerab
:. n,in thew f.li. hut when | oren.