The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-10-25

about ten pounds of jerked meat in
his clothes, and taking the trail of the
Kickapoos, set out early in the morn
ing. He followed it all day cautious
| ly, and by night was far up the noun
tains. The next day, near noon, as
he reached the brow of an immense
precipico, the redskins opened on
him in the rear.
sHe was completely trapped. All
means OF retreat were cut of, and
there was death before and behind
him. But Joe made up his mind to
die game. Dodging behind rock,
he opened with his shooting iron and
mado it lively for tho ambushers.
Every shot told, and soon a dozen
dead Indians were stretched out or
the mountain top. But their COM
rades were undaunted, and nearly q
hundred of them mado dash to
soize him. lie had already killed
twentg>six of them, but he saw that
he must soon be overpowered.
"Fight was impossible, and pre-
ferring to kill himself rather than be
tortured by the Indians, he rushed
to the precipice, fully 1900 feet high
and )eapcd into space. But during
| his fearful descent he did not lose his
presence of mind. He was going
down near the facc of the rocks and
observed that stuntod pines and
hemlocks grew out of tho frequent
crevices. lie began gasping in the
tops Of them, which first bent and
} then broke, but ho found that he was
breaking the force of his fall. For
the last 800 feet the bushes we're
thick, and Joe was soon going down,
dropping from one to the otter in
} perfect safety.
CAT last ho reached the bottom,
suffering from q few bruises and SOW.
eral rather serious wounds received
in the contest with the Indians over
head. Just as he was congratulating
himself upon his wonderful escape
another pack of the red devils broke
the chapral and opened fire. Anoth
or hand to-hand contest took place
and Joe killed nine of his encmies.
He then started to run along tho base
of the cliff, when on q sudden the
earth gave way under him, and he
fell into a deep fssure. The Indians
were Immediately upon him, and
fired two or three volleys down the
hole and then covered it up
with immense boulders.
"Joe had fallen twenty feet, and
realizing the danger from shots above,
got under the shelving of the rock
and thus avoided the balls. The In
dians, supposing him dead, made no
further Investigations. Realizing lis
desperate situation, Joe set about ex-
Treating himself, and found that he
was in a vast cave with large NUNS
Der Of ramifcations. In the midst of
pitchy darkness he began his explo"
ration, which cantinued for four or
five, days but which to him seemed
as many years.
''Tho jerk meat on his person sat
fstied the cravings of his appetite, and
he found plenty Of pure water to
drink. At last he gave up, and lay
down to die. Listening intently he
heard what seemed like human voices
and this once moro gave him heart.
Crawling in the direction from which
the sounds came, he at length reach
} cd point from which he was able to
! look into vast rotunda, fitted up in
barbaric splondor, and lighted with
: pine knots and sputtcrlng lamps, and
, there, reclining on a couch Of bear
f skins, he bohcld Iacz ROmuldo talk
. ing with an old Indian squaw, who
I appearantly, was hor jailer.
7 CAT length the old hag withdrew
! in an opposite direction, and Joe
t speedily made his presence known to