Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-04-10
Sf(is&tllalttons.
ESCAPE OF AN INDIAN SPY.


On warm pleasant day, during the
summer Of 1894, a small Indian canoe,
containing couple of white men, was
floating on the bosom of the Ohio. oppo-
site the mouth of the Scioto. Both men
were busy with their paddles, heading up
stream, but only as it would seem with
the design of overcoming the downward
motion of the current, so as to keep their
little vessel about stationary Their eyes
were fixed upon the Northern shore,
which they scanned eagerly up and down
and their features had an anxious and
troubled expression.
"Therel by heavens! there he comesl"
cried one of the men called Tom, Jerking
up his paddle and Strengthening himself
up so suddenly as nearI y to upset the ca
noe. Bravo! ! Duncan-bravo you'll
live to be great men yet, in spite of the
red devils who've more than once hcen so
close upon your hair. Now then for the
shore, Nat Give away, lad-give awayn
As he spoke the little craft was headed
toward the Ohio shore of the river, and
both men piled the paddles with so much
vigor as to almost lift the canoe from the
water. AS it neared the bank, young
man in the fresh vigor Of healthy man
hood came bounding through the bushes,
with rifle in his hand, and stopped,
heated and pating, upon the edge of the
stream, gancing quickly, nervously and.
suspiciously in every direction, and then
fixing his eyes eagerly upon the approach
ing boat Scarcely was its bow to the
shore when he leaped into it, and with
his momentum sent it rolling ana dane
ing backward for several feet
"Ah, thank God thank God !" he
exclaimed with long breath of relief, as
he sank into the bottom of the boat, al
most exhausted, while his companions
made vigorous use Of the paddles, in put
ting safe distance between them and the
dangerous shore.
Scarcey word was spoken till they
had passed beyond the middle of the riv-
er, toward the Kentucky side, and felt
themselves comparatively safe from saw
age marksmen, when the one called Tom
laying down his paddle, dropped down
beside the newcomer, and seizing both
his hands, said, with deep and earnest
feelings;
"God bless you, Duncan you don't
know how glad | am to have you safe
with us once more ~
at is as good as a new lease of life '
said Nat, taking off his flexible hat and
beginning to fan his heated friend, who
still seemed quite faint and exhausted.
"Ha, what's this ?" cried Tom, alarm
ed, before Duncan could reply. "Blood
blood, as / live-coming fresh from his
side Are you badly wounded, my dear
fellow? Why didn't you tell us at irst?'
"Quick quick !'' exclaimed Nat,
"here is knife-cut upon his dress and
let us get at it %
The wound was not as serious as had
been feared A well aimed bullet had
shattered his powder horn, and sent some
of the splinters into the flesh, bruising
and lacerating it, and causing it to bleed
freely; but there was no internal injury
done; and Tom soon announced with
bright CLEAN of joy, that there was no
danger to be appreciated.
lie now proceeded to carefully dress
and cleanse the wound, while his com
panion padded the canoe near to the
Kentucky shore and then sent it gliding
down the stream.
These three men, with one other, were
what was known in western parance as
Indian spies, They were employed, du-
ring the season of navigation, to range
up and down the Ohio river, from Lime
stone (now Maysville), Kentucky, to the
Big Sandy, the western limit of Virginia,
for the purpose of detecting the presence
Of any marauding savages, and giving
timely warning to the ascending and de-
scending packet boats, some of which
hal previously been waylaid and captured
and their passengers and crews murdered
or dragged into terrible captivity. In
fact, they were now on their return from
conveying an upward boat, which had
recently been fired upon and one man
killed and two wounded. On this up
ward trip they had taken along their ca
noe, in order to float down with the tide,
and had they kept to the water probably
no accident would have happened but a
little below the Scioto was well-known
deer-lick, which the one called Duncan
wished to visit in pursuit of game and
leaving his companions in charge of the
boat, to await his return, he set off alone,
His return we have seen. and what hap
pened in the interval, we shall now learn
from his narration to his companions, as
all hoated down the river together
"Well," said the wounded man, 'after