The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-10-30
HARTFORD, OHIO COUNTY, KENTUCKY OCTOBER 80, 1878

miles further and the pursuing canoes
were scarcelya hundred yards behind,
the Indians yelling like demons as they
saw the white men almost in their
grasp. Rip Ford shook his head as he
looked over his shoulder, when sud-
denly his canoe was seized by mighty
force and hurled downward like bull
let from rife. They had struck an
other rapid more powerful than the
first, and the rocks absolutely seemed
to fly past them.
This is something like it, cried the
daring Buckskin Sam. How we do
move
Il should say we did, old doy,' repli-
ed Rip. 4 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 a
moment gasped Rip. Look at that ?
The headmost canoe of the Indians
appeared upon the crest of the rapid,
and came flying down after the trap
pers at furious speed. The Indians no
longer used their paddles, with the ex-
ception of the man who sat at the
stern, and by a touch on the water,
now on one side. now on the other reg
ula.ed the course of the canoe. The
second canoe followed in moment, a
little further in shore. As they gazed
the bow of the last canoe was suddenly
lifted into the air as it struck brown
rock in the channel, which the occu-
pants tried in vain to avoid. The fierce
current caught the stern and in an in
slant there was nothing left of the
craft, save broken fragments, while the
occupants, with loud shrieks of terror,
were borne swiftly on by the resistless
tide. That ends them, said Rip Ford.
BE careful, Sam, for your life!
On, on, borne by the power which
they could not resist, the two canoes
were hurried. There was a scene of
wild EMULATION in the hearts of the
white men, for they could see that the
enemy would have gladly escaped. if
they could, from the perils that sur
rounded them. Their mad desire for
scalps and plumber had led them into
a trap, and they no longer thought of
the csnoa before 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 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. I'VE are aoing-'To our
death. interrupted Rip Ford in SOL
emn voice. DO you hear the fallsp
Through the splash of the water and
he dip OF the paddles they heard a low
lead, tremolous roar. which was the 7
sound of falling water. For moment |
the bronzed 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, Tue la mort! Long live
death 7 \
1t was indeed before them, for as
they shot out of the 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
good-by 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 I'M
known depths. Each man chung to
his paddle as he went down, held by
an invisible power, whirled to and fro
ms in maelstrom, and then shot up in
10 the light below the falls. Far be-
low them the canoe flOated, and as the
current swept them down, thetwo men
looked back in time to see the Indians
canoe come over the falls sideways
without an occupant. 1t was hurled
far out, and fell lightly on the water,
only to be arrested by the strong hand I
of Buckskin Sam.
The Indians, appalled, by their dan
ger, had upset their canoe in their fran
tic efforts to escape. What became of
them the trappers never knew, for
when they reached the foot of the rap
id, far below the fall. 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.