West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-10-26

AuAbhtI ana the pursuing canoes were
scarcely hundred yards behind, the
Indians yelling like demons as they saw
the white men almost in their grasp.
Kip Ford shook his head as he looked
over his shoulder, when suddenly his
canoe was seized by mighty force and
hurled downward, like "A bullet from a
rlne. They had struck another rapid
more powerful than the first, and the
rocks absolutely seemed to hy past
/ them.
" This is something like IL, cried the
daring Buckskin Sam. How we do
move "
should say we did, old boy" re.
pied Kip. am only afraid we are
moving too fast"
Don't you believe it those fellows
seem TO be standing still, said Sam.
They will get in the current in q
moment" gasped Rip. Look at that p'
| The headmost canoe of the Indians
appeared upon the crest of the rapid,
and came flying down after the trapDers
/ at furious speed The Indians no
longer used their paddles, with the ex-
| ception of the man who sat at the stern.
and by touch on the water, now on
one side, now on the other, regulated
| the course of the canoe. The second canoe
! followed In moment, little further i'm
| shore. As they gazed the bow of the
last caroe was suddenly lifted into the
air as 1t struck brown rock in the chan
mel, which the occupants tried in vain
/ to avoid. The fierce current caught the
! stern and in An instant there was moth
ing left of the craft, save broken frag-
ments, while the occupants, with loud
shrieks of terror, were borne swiftly ON
| by the resistless tide. That ends them -
said Kip Ford. " Re careful, sam, for
/ your life -
/ ON, on, borne by the power which
they could not resist, the two canoes
were hurried. There was scene of wild
eXultation in the hearts of the white
men, for they could see that their enemy
would have gladly escaped, if they
could, from the perils that surrounded
/ them. Their mad desire for scalps and
plunder had led them into a trap, and
they no longer thought of tn" canoe be-
fore them. They knew, as the whites
did not, the terrible danger before them.
for they had explored the banks of the
stream on foot many times. The river
suddenly narrowed, and the trappers
rushed into a canon barely twenty feet
wide and nearly rooted over by the cliff
on each side. The current was not quite
so rapid here, and they guided the canoe
easily.
This gets interesting, Rip" said
Sam, as they went on through the mar
row pass. We are going ITO our
death, " interrupted Rip Ford, in sol
emn voice. :" Do you hear the falls "
Through the splash of water and the
dip of the paddles they heard a low,
dead, tremulous roar, which was the
sound of falling water For a moment
the brorzed face of Sam blanched, and
then he drew his figure up proudly,
saying: " Better than the scalping-
knife or stake, old friend. As the French
man says, pive Ia D,ortp Long live
death ~
1t was, indeed, before them, for as
they shot out of tho narrow pass they
saw the falls before them-how high
they could not tell, but the smoke which
arose showed that it was not a small
one. Keep her head TO it," cried Rip.
If we don't get through it's goodbye
forever, Sam"
The swift current caught them, and
the canoe, hurled forward with terrible
force, went flying toward the verge. A
moment more and it shot out into the
midst and went down into the unknown
depths. Each man clung to his paddle
as he went down, held by an invisible
power, whirled to and sro, ~ in q
maelstrom, and then shot up into the
! light below the falls Far below them
the canoe floated, and as the current
swept them down, the two men looked
back in time to see the Indians canoe
come over the fall sideways without an
occupant. II was hurled farout, and fell
lightly on the water, only TO be arrested
by the strong hand of Buckskin Sam.
The Indians, appalled, by their dan
ger, had upset the canoe in their frantic
efforts to escape. What became Of them
the trappers never knew, for when they
| reached the foot of the'rapid far below
the falls, and righted the canoe, they
made no pause, but hurried down the
stream, and before night were safely
floating in the waters OF the Canadian
River. Two days later they reached
Fort Sill in safety.