Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-07-08
A Wild Adventure.

to care for the life they led. Caleo-or
Cale--Whte was man who stood six
feet two in his moccasinS; man whom
you or would hardly care to meet in tho
close tug of desperate battle. His
hard brown face was scanned with scars
from bullet, knife, and the claws of wild
beasts aud his muscular body showed the
marks Of many desperate struggle.
Sam Tully was the beau ideal Of
mountaineer. Although not SO powerful
as Gale, he was man of great personal
strength aud desperate courage
For many year these two had roamed
the trapping grounds together, lighting
Indians, grizzlies, and wolves; chased by
night over the burning prnrie; defending
their camp against the sudden attack of
the red icnds, or spending recklessly, at
the stations, the money which they had
earned so hardly on the trapping grounds.
They hand been out all winter, aud as
spring approached the last cache was cov-
cred, and the trappcrs began to think of
returning home. They we're eager for
the pleasures Of Ell Paso and Santa Fe;
the fandango; the moonlight dash over the
prairie, and pleasant flirtations with the
pretty Mexican girls, who above all wo-
men dOtc upon the american and Tejano;
for they cannot yet be brought to believe
in the fact that the Texans are members
Of the great Republic.
The camp mas built up near the river,
Tributary IF the Snake, which flowed
through dismal canons, in which the light
of day never shone under the shadow of
giant cliffs, upon which human beings
never yet set foot, and only spreading out
at places where the cunning beaver had
built his dam. The river was broken by
great rapids and abounded in rare fish,
upon which they had leasted royallJ for
many days.
There was not particle Of ice in the
channel now, for the rushing torrent had
swept it down the great river. They had
canoe, and had been discussing the
chances Of going down the stream in that,
| IN nr1or 70 on ua tip,n
"I'm ready TO take the chances, if you
are Gale" said Tully.
IL don't ike 10 give myself away
said Caleb White. "What do we know
about ;he river. aftor we get down to the
: big canou, and who ever passed through it?'
That's the fun of the thing, Gale; we
do what no one else over dared to do
II don't like it, replied White. who
was by far the more prudent Of two 81
-ha what is that ?"
They seized their weapons, and run tt
the door of the hut, just In time to see
dozen Indians running down through the
j grass, blocking up the only way of escape
J The moment the repeating rifles began te
PLAY upon them they went out of sigh
Z auong the rocks, and they began thei
: gradual approach, which could only enc
iu one way-the white trappers would b.
: overwhelmed.
: ..There is only one chance, Gale, "crie'
Sam Tully.
"And that--?"
1.-THE canoe ~
r "I'm your man," cried the giant trap
per. You push the canoe into the wa
. te,, and throw in the weapons, while
keep those fellows in play. All! woal
you? Take that !"
An Indian had raised his tufted head
to get better shot at the trappors, bu
" before he could get back the unfailiug eye
T. of the trapper had looked through th
Il double sights and the rife cracked. Th
0 Indian sprang suddenly to his feet, spu
u sharp around apon his heel, and fell dea
e in lis tracks.
e The next moment the canoe shot OF
:. from the bank, and headed down throug
n the boiling food, pluDging into the cano
g below SO rapidly that the Indians ha
# scarcely time to recover from their amaze
,r ment at the sudden exodus before the
IS were oat of sight. One Of the lndial
of bounded to his feet. and uttered lou
N signal wboop, and two large canoes, Col
,e tanning in all about fifteen men, rounde
g. point in the river above and came d,
We ing down under the strokes Of the pat
r. dies.
* The Indian on the shore simply poin
n. ed down the stream, and the two cano
u. dashed by at furious speed, the WI
ue yells Of the paddlers announcing to
of white men that they were pursued.
al The first rapid passed, they entered
If. long stretch Of water, where the cure
it. was only four or five miles an hour; a
,se here the propelling force in the other
af. noes began to tell, and they gained rap
ly'