Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1862-01-30
Cum Misrellany.
Gid Zeke ard The lGdiaDs.

The following little adventure
of Old Zeke, the intrepid trapper
of the upper waters Of the Mis-
souri,, is supposed to be true, as
the old hunter exhibits the scald-
marks received in the fracas:
I The reader need not be told
I that. scattered over the Great
! Basin, are numerous natural weI-
ders. Among them are hot and
tepid springs gushing from cool
caverns and sandy wastes, buried
masses of ice, subterranean rivers,
and streams running together from
opposite sources and sinking where
they meet. thousand Spring Val
ley. at the head of the Humboldt,
| | believe, was the scene of the ex-
| plot l am about to relate. | cam
not positively designate tie year
| in which Old Zeke honored that
locality with his presence, or the
circumstance that drew the ven
cradle trappcr so far from the I'M
migrant trail. Suffice it to know
that, several years ago, he was in.
Thousand Spring Valley, whittier
he had probably strayed from his
companions in search of elk, an.
telope, or some other acceptable
game. The Valley is full Of
springs, some of which are, to use
the emphatic illustration of the
hunter, "as hot as hell" All
these springs of different temper
atures mingle their waters at the
lower end of the valley and form
the source of the Humboldt. One
day, while Old Zeke. was ''prowl-
ing around, I'm that neighborhood,
with his train several miles in ad-
vance, he made up his mind to
cook prairie-rat in a large hot
spring, and with that view skinned
the animal, and running his RAM
rod through the legs, plunged it
into the boiling cauldron. He
had scarcely done so before he
heard the vicious "whiz' Of an ar
row, and looking up, saw three In
dians preparing for charge upon
him. SEEING his rifle, he drew a
bead upon the foremost, but the
printing had been damped by the
water splas1iihg upon it, and would
not ignite He c'enched his re-
volver and advanced a few yards;
when, in a twinkling, down he
went to bis middle into one of the
many pools of mud and water
around him, submerging his only
weapon with him. He tried to
extricate himself, but in vain: eve
ry effort sunk him deeper into the
rAire. The savages approached, and
were in ecstacies. Zeke extended
his hand for help, preferring death
by any other means than suffoca-'
tion in mud. After a.brIef consul
tation, the savages drew him from
the mire, for the humane purpose
of pitching hint headforemost In
to the hot spring where he was
preparing his dinner.
/ This determination soon became
appallingly apparent to him, and
he struggled fiercely to free HIM
self from the grasp of the red dev-.
lis who were Juggling him towards
the seething pool, but without eff
feet. Approaching the spring,
they placed themselves in posi-
| ton to toss the hunter into it,
when a sudden kick sent one of
them into the boiling water. The
savage uttered a scream as he
| touched it, and his companions
dropped the hunter and sprahg to
his assistance. STOPPING over.the
brink, one of them reached the
end of his bow to the cooking
Digger, when Zeke jumped to his
feet and dealt him 'stunner In,
the back of the neck, knocking
him sprawling into the spring
Striking headforemost, the boiling
water strangled him, and after a
few wild shrieks and frantic efforts
to reach the bank, he foated face
downward. Meanwhile, the first
had uttered his last yell, and sunk
to the nliry bottom. With a saw
age whoop, the remaining Digger,
large and muscular, grappled the
hunter and attempted to hurl him
| into the spring. Neither of them