Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-03-29

wild aprlcots, then broke with the speed Of
an antelope down the Canon, and we saw no
more of Pike that night; and no doubt he
made tho six miles to the Canon in less time
than mortal man ever did or ever will again.
Hank landed head first in the thorny
bushes and now had something to groan for
in earnest, but after all got off with fewer
scratches than was TO be expected. Tom
rolled on the ground and laughed till he nearly
smothered himself:
"Great Moses" cried he, "but he made
fast time, when he got fairly started,-bcats
the Pony Express ~
! For my part, now that the fun was all over
| felt very uneasy and miserable; | feared
that in his fright Pike might dash his brains
out against tree or break his neck among
| the rocks, and finally resolved that in future
l would have nothing to do with such sport.
| In the morning we were up and ready for
a start by sunrise. We concluded to 20 to
Chinatown for breakfast, as we Ind nothing
but rice and flour and no good way Of cook
ing either the one or the other, and besides,
last night experience had pretty much cured
any hankernig we might have had for rice.
In passing down the Canon ! could not
help thinking we would presently find Pike
| lying wounded or already cold and dead in
| some rocky pit pile of bouders; and think
most of the party experienced apprchcnsive
and remorseful feelings. Pike, in his figh.
had left his hat behind and one Of the bows
was carrying it along for him, when we
should find him, il that should ever be-
| Every time | caught sight of that hat my
blood turned cold, for it seemed to belong to
the dead. ut length we were through the
| Canon, and on reaching the smooth plain
without having found Pixies corpse, we felt
pretty sure that We should find him alive and
| kicking, Cor on the smooth ground we had
now reached there was but little danger oe
| hurting himself, and we cheered up accord
| ingly. Tom began to make great calcula-
| tons on the sport we would have in explain.
ing the true history of the last nights rer-
| formancc. A thought struck me; and call
! ing the boys together, explained my plan,
which would yield us still more sport, and
| puzzle Pike, more than anything which had
! yet happened to him--whut the plan was.
| viii soon appear.
| Instead of fording the river as we had done
| in going out--an operation which for one
had no inclination to ropeat-we went some
| two miles farther down and crossed Mt the
| ferry, We inquired of the darkey in charge.
whether q man had crossed any time during
the night from the cast side of the river?
| He assured us there had no person crossed,
and that he had found the boat on the west
| bank chained up precisely as he had left it in
| the evening.
| We now knew that Pike had crossed Mt
| the ford, or at least made the attempt, and
| again began to feel uneasy, fearing that reach
| ing the river in an exhausted state he had
| plunged in and been swept under by the
| strength oi the current one of two things
was certain; he was safe across or drowned;
for the Mississippi itself could not have kept
him on the eastern shore. On turning into
the main street of Chinatown, the first thing
that attracted our attention was a knot of
| some Gozen men with minnie muskcts gilt
tering in their hands and Pilei YES Pike.
was there, in the centre Of the crowd, with
handkerchief bocnh about his hcnd, tossing
! his AIMS about and gcsticulating at great
! rate. We saW Mt a glance how matters stood.
! Pike had told Of the dreadful fight, how we
were NEARLY all, perhaps all, murdered and
| how he alone lived TO bring the mournful
| tdings. Pike was a hero for once, all eyes
were centred upon him, his every gesture
was pregnant of meaning. and every word he
uttered carried with it volume Of blood
chilling horror-what pity to tumble him
so soon from his pedestal!
| So intently were the good citizens watch.
! ing every look and listening 10 every word
that dropped from the lips of the eloquent
I Pike, and so earnestly was he engaged paint.
ing, for perhaps the twentieth time, the mi.
nutest details Of the horrid massacre, that We
were almost in their midst before we were
observed. Pike was just saying
Yes, Hank may be alive, though he's
badly wounded | carried him ON my back
over two miles with over twenty o. the rcd
cusses howlin' after me, an kivered him up
with brush--hc may be alive! But all the
rest
Here the crowd saw us and set up a yell.
cutting Pike short in bis story. The people
crowded around and overwhelmed us with
questions and congratulations:
!" How did you cscapes Who's killed?
Was there many Indians ~
Not II word, however, could we be made
to understand--we had seen no Indians,
none OF us were hurt in the least or had even
dreamed of danger. Here the whole crowd
turned to Pike for some exclamation. and
some even hintcd that If he didn't explain
his strange storys and conduct pretty salts.
factory he would get into trouble. Pike wcs
perfectly thunderstruck.
ed ~ ~ ~A'
Killed how killed. what do you mean ,''
Why, killed by the Iniuns, to be shore p
: In the first place saw no Indians, and
in the second if / had been. killed, | wouldn't
be apt to be here, would | p
Pixies jaw dropped and his coiintcnnncc
assumed a frightened, puzzled look, most
iudicrons to behold.
His fingers sought the tuf Of yellowisI,.
red hair on his chin MS he gazed strpidly
irGnlone 10 another Of the familiar faces OF
those whom be supposed to be murdered,
then letting bis eyes drop to the ground in
helpless bcwildermcnt. at the same time hcay.
ing great sigh that shook his whole frame.
ne muttercd abstractedy -
: All here! all here, all, all here, all here r.
The crowd suddenly ceased to threaten
and perplex him for explanations and in
GREATNESS silence regarded him with that
fixed, halfwondering, awe-struck look which
the human countenance is wont to wear when
something dreadful is expected to happen
now began to be alarmed for the poor fel.
lows wits. and determined to rouse him
Pike" said ], "you must certainly have
dreant all this p