The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1878-10-23
A WILD ADVENTURE.
AN INDIAN STORY from THEARKANsAs
COUNTY.
rsan lFrancisco Gold.n Era ! n


II Sam. ). Hall. "Burkskin sam, and old
Rip Ford were trapping in the Arkansas
river region. They were iiennf,itsi,eraie
courage who had takrn tlIeirlives IN their
hands tooofipn Ia r4,rr for tile dangers
they were exposed to: OId Rip wa. ii
man who stood five feet eleyell0 in Ills
silr,cta,Sins "a nian whom sou wuulti lard.
III care tomeet III the close Tug uf.a iles.
perate battle. Ills hard brown face wus
scanned with sears from hlillet, knife and
claws Of wild beasts. aua his niicula
body showed the marks Of many 4 de..
pera.. stsuggIe. "8 ickskin Simn Was
the beau ideal ola mountain and l,lains
man. the Western hunter that the move
Its la.iits and the school hoy tifeanis of
-and WISHES soais day to hbi.. Although
nut 80 ln,waffl as Old Rip. he was u iiiai,
ofgreat personal strength and desperate
cnrlge For many aye.r these two had
roan,pd In. traw,inss together, lighting
Indians, grizzlies aud wolves, chased hy
nigh, over tile burning prairles, iefrnding
their ealnp again-i the sudden attacks oi
red liends o: spending recklessiy al tine
monte i, ard the money tney bal earned
81 hardly on The trapping ground,
They hnd been out all winter, and, as
spring approached, the last cache was
rnvered, and the trappers now Ilegan I"
think Of returning home. The camp was
builI lrI near ihe river, n tributary nf the
Canadian which flowed ihrnngh tiisml
cannans. In which the light of day meyer
shows. nn,lrr the shadow Of giant clilf-
upon which human beings never yrl set
foni. and only spreading out ut places
where tile cunning bPayer had built his
dam. Tile river was broken Icy great
rupiiS. aud al,oinued. Ia rare fish. nl'nI
which ilr.y had G,aSl.d ioyally far many
Il day. They had "an"e, and had I'eei'
discussing the cfance Of going dawn Tile
slieain III THAT. Ia ot,lcr 10 save time.
Il anl ready tu take the chances if you
are, Rip said Sam.
4 ,lan't like 10 give myself away" said
Rip. what ,iu y"tr know abniIt The
river. after We got down TO Tie big canon
and who ever passed through II 3?
THAT'S the fun of tne thing, Rip. We
do what no one else ,laIe do said sam.
4 dnn't like - replied Fnrt, who was
hy far tlir nIt,~t prudent "f The twT J.
la what ~ Jehu h that p They seize,
their w,Mpnus aud ran To the d'Hr - tl,,
hut. just III line u -ees d tinzen 'IHiin,is
running dawn through the grass blockinl
up The only way ~ -scai~. The momenl
the repeating rifles brganio play ul",
them they went outot sight anhn'g the
rucks aud ntgau their gradual approach
whici, c.,lli 9a,y rni IN one way--th'
white trarprs would lie overwhelmed.
There's only Une chance, Rip cried
Sam
Aud that - . .~'s>~
The camun' aa... H. ... 9&..-... ...
.I'n your man. cried tile giant irapper
'Yun tnIsl, the ranue into the water aud
thrnw IN the weala,us. while Keep th,st
fellows ut has. Oh, would you TAX,
thai = s,tte .r -.s.. e.
An Indian lad nisesI his iuflee head q
get a better shot 1T the trapprrs. but hefor,
h. cuuld get h,ck the unfailiny eyes oi
the tapper had looked thongh ih'
double sights aud iI,e rifle cracked. Til,
Indian spfaug suddenly 10 his feet. sl'u'
sharp around ul0n las heel aud fell dtal
IN his tracks.
The uext moment tile canoe shut fron
tile bank a..d headed down through the
bniling fond, plunging Ia tile canon he'
Inv ~ ia;idIy that the lndinns lad
scarcsly time ta recover frum thrT amaze
meni at tile sudden exodus before th,
trap,ets were aut ofsight. One of the
Indians I,oundrd 10 Ills feet aud uttered a
Inv signal whoup, aud two large canues,
containing in all abuut fifteen men,
rounded poini III the river aDove the
cauuun aud came flying down under the
strokes Of the paddles. I'VE b,diaI,s oIl
the shore simply Ir,inted down ihssirean,
aud tile canors dHslcd by at ruriuIi,
speed, the Wild yell of the savagrs an'
no uncing To tile white men ilat they were
ytursi,ed The tirst raI,id passed. they en-.
Tered Il hdig stIetch of water where ~,
current wis only fur or five miles nj
hOur, aud there tie prupelling fnrcr Ia the
ottcr canues began To Tell, aud the III.
,liaus gained ralhdly. i. fs...#
Un each side 0f the came tile canon va,
like u wall, two hundred feet In height
aud the IIapprrs could only put all ileiI
streugtiiii, tile paddles aud dash on n,
last ~ they cuuld. Two miles further and
the pursying canOcs we're scarcely n hun
,lred yartis'btIlnAi. Ri. Indians yelling
like demons as they saw the white npI
almost In thcif hrnsp. lRip Ford sl,ool
his head as lie lmpkrd over his shoulder
when suddenly his uahoe was @itcd ly
mighty force aud hurled downward. lik,
a bullet ffmn a rifle. They had struck M
other rapid niore powerful than tile first
and tile rocks absolutely seemed to fly pas
them. ~@.. .~g