The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-11-10
A Desperate Race.

tai OF the DIX buckeye State. MANY
were the stories and adventures told by
the company. One man, in particular
had Just finished a narrative which was
regarded by his auditors as being little
more than marvellous, when a Senator
who happened 10 be one of the party
coolly remarked that the story just
told was ali very we'll, but it did not
begin to compare with an adventure he
himself had few years before. vi
course all were eager to hear he story,
more especially because it was true,
and the Senator prcfaced his remarks
by saying that what he was about to
relate he would most solemnly proclaim
to be the truth, except, OF course, those
matters therein stated on information
and belief The company, however,
interrupted him, and insisted that he
should ego on"
"Well. gentlemen, many years ago
| came down the Ohio river, and settled
near the present site of Cincinnati. 1t
was very wild in that region then, for
| Cincinnati was only small settlement,
and the blasted redskins were almost as
| thick as trees III the forest. Well, to
come at once to my adventure | start
ed off one morning pretty early to take
hunt, and travelled long way down
the river over the hills, but could not
! find bear or deer. About four o'clock
in the afternoon | made tracks for
home. By and by sees buck just
ahead of ne walking leisurely down to
the river. | slipped up with my faith
full old dog close in my rear, TO within
clever shooting distance, and just as
the buck stuck his nose down to drink
drew a bead upon his top-knot, and
over he tumbled and kicked and
splurged awhile, when | game up and
relieved h I'M by cutting his throat"
=" But what had that to do with an
adventure 2" they asked
"a great deal, 10y Jove. For while
| was busy skinning the hind quarters
of the buck and slowing away the kid
ney fat in my hunting shirt, | heard a
noise, made, no doubt, by a moccasin.
NV dog also heard it, and started up to
gcconnoitre, and | lost no time in re-
loading my rifle. had hardly got my
printing out before my dog raised a
howl and broke through the brush
with his tail down, as he was not used
to doing unless wolves or Indians were
around | picked up my knife and
took up my line Of march up the river.
The frequent gullies on the lower bank
made it tedious travelling there, so |
scrambled up to the upper bank, which
was pretty well covered with trees, with
out much underbrush. Onepeepb below
satisfied me, for | saw three as big red
rascals as you ever clapped your eyes
on Yes, they were not above six hun
dred yards in my rear"
/ "Well, said an old woodsman. who
was sitting at the table, "you took a
tree, of course.
"Did /? No gentlemen ! | took no
tree, just then but took to my heels
! like sixty, and it was just a. much as
my old dog could do to keep up with
me. ran until the whoops of the red
skins grew fainter and fainter behind
me, and, clean out OF wind, | ventured
! to look behind me, and there came one
single red whelp, putting and blowing,
not three hundred yards in my rear.
He had got on to a piece OF land where
! the trees were scarce and small. Now,
| thinks |, old fellow, | will have you.
! SO trotted off at pace sufficient to let
! him gain on me, and when he had got
Just about near enough | wheeled and
! fired, and down | brought him, dead as
n door-nail, at one hundred and twenty
yards"
"Then you scalped him, | suppose,
said the woodsman.
Very clear of it, gentlemen; for by
the time got my rifle loaded, up came
the other two redskins, shouting and
wbooping close on me, and away
! broke again like a race horse. | was
now about five miles from the settle
ment, and it was getting toward sunset
| ran till my wind began to get pretty
short, when | looked back, and there
they came, snorting like bufialoes, and
one about two or three hundred yards
ahead of the other. So | acted postum
again until the first Indian got pretty
well up, and | wheeled and fired at the
very moment he was drawing a bead on
me- He fell heels over head into the
dirt, and up came the last one."
$50 you laid for him." gasped sew
eral.
NO" contir ued the Senator, 4" did
not lay for him had not time to load
so ran. heard every bound he made
after me. | ran and ran until the fire
flew out of my eyes, and the old dogs
tongue hung out of his mouth quarter
OF yard"
"Phew ~ whistled somebody.
g A fact, gentle en-. Well, what was
| to do? did not know. Rifle empty
no big trees about, and numbering rec
Indian in my rear and what was worse
just then 1t occurred to me that | was
not a great ways from a big creek, and
there ! should be pinned at last. Just
at his juncture | struck my toe agains,
root; down | tumbled, and my old
cog over me. Before / could scramble
up the Indian fired and the ball struck
me under the shoulder; but that die
not in any way impede my locomotion
for as soon as | got up took off again
quite refreshed by my fall. / heard the
redskin close behind me come dashing
on, and every minute / expected tC
have his tomahawk dashed into M,
head or shoulders. Something kind o
cool began to trickle down my legs int
my boots"