Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1879-01-04
A WILD WESTERN ADVENTURE
From tho Gan Francisco Golden Era.

from shc Gan Francisco Golden Era.
Sum s. Hall, Buckskiu SAM" and old
RIP Ford were trapping in the Arkansas
River region. They were men of des-
perate courage, who had taken theil
lives IN their hands too often to care fOi
the danger they were exposed to. Old
Rip was m III who stood five feet eleven
in his mOccasins-a man whom You
would hardly care to meet in close tue
OF a desperate battle. His hard brown face
was scanned with sears of bullet, knife
and claws OF will beasts. AMI his muScll-
lar body showed the marks OF many a
desperate struggle. "BuckSkin Sam
was the beau ideal of Il mOuntineer and
plains man, the Western hunter that the
novelist paints and the schOolboy drear.S
of and wishes some day to be. Although
not 20 so powerful as Old Rip, be Was a
man of great personal strength AMI DIES
perate cour.ge For many year these
TWO had rOamed the trapping grounds
together. fighting Indians. grizzlies. and
swolvcs, chased by night over the burn
ing prairieS, defending their camp agains,
the sudden attacks OF red ticnds, or
spending reckles>ly 1T the monte board
The money they had earned so hardly on
Tue trapping SrounuS.
They had been out all winter. and, as
spring approached, the last ctche WIS
covered, and the trappers now began 10
think of returning home. The camp was
built up near the river. tributary OF
the Can ,,lian, which flowed through dis
nal cauons in which the light of day
hevrr shows, under the shadow of giyan-
tic cliff, upon which lun1n beings meyer
Yet SET foot. aud only spreading out al
places where the cunning beaver hal
oiiilt Ills dam. The river was broken by
great rapids. and abOun;led in rsre fish.
upon which they had te lSted royalty for
IN my day. They "a al canoe, and n il
been discussing the chance of gOing
down the s;reim in order TO save time.
Il am ready To lake the Chances if you
are. Rip" said Sam. u.
Il don't like TO give mys'.lf away" said
RIP. What .lo You know about the
Diver after we get down the big canon,
and whoever p:Sse': through it?''
That's ihe fun OF the thing. Zip. We
do what no one else dare dp : said sim.
Il dou't likei', r-plird Ford. who was
h. fsr the most prudent OF the two. II
Ia, Whit IN Jejfit is thai 2" They
~ciz..d their weyp0Is ami ran u the door
r,f-,ne httt.4jilsI in tim" To see IL dozen II
= BLOCKING. up The only way. of escape. Pine.
iuomeIt the rcpea ing riff 5 b gan 10.
ff,l.v upon them, they weut OUT of sight
pmong the rocks, and began their grad
ull appro ,cl, which could only eE'l in
one way-iIie white trapp"rs would be
overwhelmed! 4,4
There's only one chance, RIP cried
= IN.
=, And that ?"
lie c.lsQe-"
I'm yeurinin," criel the giant trap
per. You push the canoe into -the
,water ard thr,w in The weapons while
J Keep those fellows III bay. oh, would
yoii fake that
An Indian had raised his tu.tel head
to get a better shot ut the trappers, bur
before he could get back the .Alliailing
2yes of the trtpper had looked through
ethe double sights and the rifle cracked.
The Indian sprung suddenly to his feet.
spun sharp around upon his heel aud
fell dead in his tracks.
The next moment the canoe shot from
tl.s bthlnana headed down through the
'eboiling h,rol. plnnging iii the canon be-
lJw so rapidly that. the Indians hail
scarcely time TO recover from their
-,mazement ut the sudden exodus before
the InsiiaTs bounded To his feet and ut
lei ed a low signal whoop. ana two large
canoes, containing in all about fifteen
men, rounded the point in the river
above the canon and came flying down
..in,ler the strokes of the paddles. The
Indians on the shore simply pointed
down the stream. and the the. canoes
dashed by ut Il furious speed. the wild yell
of the patlders ahnounclng'tO the white
men tilat they were pursued Inc FIRST
rapid passed; they enterela long stretch
of water where the current was only four
or five;miles an hour, anal ttpre he pro-
pellipg force in the ether CANES be gan to
tell, and 1.-The Indians gained rapidly.
Oh'each side of the canoe the canon
WAS wall, 200 feet~in~ helght, and the
'trappers could only put all their strength
in the paddles and dash OH as fast as
they could. Two miles further and the
pursuing canoes were scarcely Il hundred
yards behind, the Indians yelling like
demons as they saw. the white men al
most within their grasp. Rip Ford
shook his head as he looked over his
shoulder, when suddenly his canoe was
seized by a mighty force and hurled
downward, like bullet from the rifle.
They had struck another rapid more
powerful than the first, the rocks absO-
lutely seemed to fly past them.
'.This is something like it, cried the
daring Buckskin Sam. 'How we Go
move -
p. II should say We did, old boy" re-
piled Rip. ~'1 am only afraid we are
moving to 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 .sOf the. rapids,
and came flying down after the.trappers
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 OH the water, now at the
side, now on the ether, regulated the
course of the canoe. The second canoe
followed i'm moment, a little further in
shore. As they g ,zed, the bow Of the
last canoe was suddenly lifted into the
air as it struck brown rock in the chan
mel, which, the occupants tried in vain
to avoid. The fierce current caught the
stern, andiin an instant there was moth
ing left of the craft save broken fFag-
ments, while the occupants, with. loud
shrieks of terror, were borne swiftly. on
by the resistless tide. ''fhat ends. them,
said Rip Ford. "Bc careful Sam, sfor
your life -