The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1863-04-01
a Desperate Encounter.
By EMMERsoN BENNETT.

| hardy band Of daring spirits who led the van oi
cvsation into the great wilderness of the W est.
Born on the soil Of Pennsylvania nurtured among
her wild and romantic hills he early imbibed la
love for bold and daring exploits, and even as
| bow became the hero Of some remarkable adYen-
| lures
in this day Of peril the frontier afforded no
facilities for the training of youth in the knowI-
edge Of books; and staunch, robust, intellectual
men entered upon the active duties Of life with
out other education than that which fitted them.
for a victorious march into the very depths OF the
savage wilds which stretched before them for
hundreds and thousands Of miles. The learning
gained from letters is species OF mental luxury,
seldom INDUCED III BY those who find Unnecessary
to be constantly on the alert to provide the daily
wants Of physical life and guard themselves from
a thousand surrounding pers.
Adam Wiston was, therefore, no scholar: but
no man Of his day had more practical and
/ thorough knowledge Of the forest in which he
wished to live and hoped to die, than he bad at,
The time he bade his friendsad shouldered his
rife, and, a foot and alone set off on a bold ex-
ploration towards the wilds Of Kentucky. What
he saw what lie enjoyed, aud what he suffered,
from that eventfu period till the day Of his DEATH
will probably never be known to the world but
/ there are some traces Of his daring and checker
! ed career which show that his was not a life to
be cnvied by the man who considers personal
ease and personal safety the paramount objects
Of his existence. Tradition, the mother OF writ
ten history, the preserver of Rnrecorded deeds
and facts, has handed downa few Of the adven-
lures and exploits Of this hero Of the wilderness
Adam was large, powerfully built man, six
ftet in height, and well proportioned, with iron
nerves and whip cord muscles, and at ive-dnd-
twenty, regarded himself as the equal in physc-
al strength and endurance, of any human being
On the frontier whether foreign or native white
or Indian, and always stood ready to put the mat
ter to q test in any manner which any adverse be-
lever might think proper He was, moreover,
supple, active, long-winded, and quick Of foot;
and had more than once, even when mere boy,
borne off the prize from oderand renowned com
petitors, in such physical contests, as wrestling
running, leaping throwing weights, and the like;
and when it is added that he was true Of eye,
steady of hand, and dead shot it will be per-
ceiyed that he was man whom no Sih5 le antago-
nstmight encounter with safety. Like nearly
all his class, Adam WiSton, had come toregard his
natural foe, the native saavge, with an implita
! bchatred and the never missed an opportunity
Of testfyiDg to to the fact IN the aost yindictive
manner It vas sn inrariabe rulesaith him, to
tt!eiil al Indian Wileneyerand wherever lie could ;
and so noted had become his featsaf daring i0
this respect, that tile savages named him Papa
I and the few Whites that knew him hailed him as
ts,a hero Of Ierota :, TIE DTIv1se OF Sic 5rzfqe.
Early one morning in The sprfg of the year,
when the great forest had donned its green man
, tie, andloobed Delightfully."- green and gay, Adam
crept steathyly and no selessly over steep ridge
which formed the left bank Of a welEknown
stream and gliding silently down into narrow
ravine, cnsconeed himself ina dense teicket, with
ia thirty yards Of famoust deer-lick Here care
! III
the earth, with his long rifle properly adjusted
and the clustering leaves before him just suifici-
emily parted to give him Il sight of the spot which
some tinid deer might be expected to visit at amy
moment he waited with the patience OF an old eX-
perienced hunter for tile happy moment when he
should be able to bring down his game, and thus
provide himself with many coyetcdmeaI -
: Adam was not destined on this occasion, to
b.ro his naticnce tried by any unusual delay, for
: "a bad scarcely watched the slick a quarter Of
f ~, hnrr when. in the direct line of his vision
= a,,naorod sleek fat buck. The rife was already
: naintod Adam was quick Of sight, and the next
! instant there was fash, crack, and the unet-
! rinp bafl had sped on its fatal mission The buck
! suddenly bounded into the air and fell over on
ifs side where for few moments 1t lay culver
= inc in the last throes OF death
f Rut strange To relate, there was another report
ofonotber rife, so exactly timed with Adam Win
ston,s that the two sounds were olendedinto one,
ra two balls Mt the same moment struck the
n Same animal at opposite sides The quick ears
:, of the old hunter barely caught the foreign souhc
{, ba nv no means felt certain it was not an au
2 ;,lor dnranti0n. bnt trained from his youth tc
q ,,r,,,1ance and caution, he was not the man tC
sI;rbt the faitcgt warning Of danger when nothing
vas Ia he gained by bold and recalets daring
Il was indeed the report OF another gun he mac
heard it was, he thought, more hEely TO oe tha
of an enemy than friend: and situated az ht
, he rreat Wilderness his very life depend
;ne, n M sIioht degree upon his own VigiEenc'
: IA care II stood him in hand to ascertain if bt
Il boa auoht to fear, before ra8hly venturng from
his covert.
Gathering himself upon his knees, therefore
i and slowly and cautiously pushing his head u
II tbronnh the interlacng bushes, he directed i.
. 1once to the opposite side Of the stream, wher
thore Glanced to be ravine similar to the one y
"a ocounied and there, in direct confirmation OF hl
fsrsnicion he beheld thin wreath OF smoke $40"
! IL ascending and dispensing itself IN the cLea
G. morning air, while just oelo" u oareiy peFeei'
blo among the bushes, and SO blending with ther
~ NJ eve but practiced woodmanB nigh
: bovo detected it, he perceived the shaVen cro"
a,d naintpd face Of a hideous savage, with II
70 hlack hasiisk eyes fairly cleaning as It SCENE
At ;tb forca desire and fixed steadily and search
of inglv upon himself.
II T4o6 there been in the mind of Adam Winsto
$, the faintest shadow Of doubt Of the lndiau
ne Simultaneous discovery cf himself, he wool
= have silently and cautiously withdraw himse
from exposure, reloaded his rife, and awaited b
onportunity of fatal shot; and even as it wa
III hurriediy debated with himself the prophet
i'd of boldly unmasking; but yielding the next n'
|. n,ontt "a an almost uncomfortable impulse, he u
Io,,1 vall of defiance and called out to b
adversarv IN the most haunting manner:
ts ,HaIlo!yo greasy eurmudgeon Of sneal
IL inc tribe! eff you want my hair, you'll have
- o,4or II and it'l take a man to crop it: bl