Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-06
oLD-TIME "REMINISCENCES

the timbers work probably weakened by
decay.
OLD-TIME "REMINISCENCES.
Rough Travelling I'm Virginia and
Kentucky, i'm Early Times.
On one occasion Il was my fortune %
take a horseback trip from Big Sandy IL
the kanawha valley, across the country
and, a. my time was rather limited,
was constrained 10 ride after dark m a
region at that time altogether unsettled
aud Wild and, worst OF all IN my case
iur a night ride, one quite unfamiliar 10
ur. Ou the night IN question 4 had
gone on several miles after passing the
last cabin seen in the afternoon, and As
the thick darkness came down like a
pail, preyenting me in the dense forest
from even seeing the ground itself un-
der my horses teet, % my discomfort
aud perhaps dismay, began % hear the
deep muttering of thunder reeChOed by
the mountain ranges i'm the FAR distance
while 80 rocky and rough was the wind
ing pathway along which my tired horse
Was stumbling that there WAS no such
thing a. hurryiug him in the chance OF
finding some place OF shelter Tor the
uight. and from the coming tempest.
Of course. / blamed myself for not
stopping al the last cabin | had passed,
instead oi tempting untried and wild
forest paths al that time Oi night, but
that did not help the ease, and l could
only drop the reinS on the neck OF my
IaIrd steed, and leave him % find his
way to some clearing, IL such was
within reach. I'M time enough % escape
the storm.
/ was creeping along ia this manner,
slowly, NV horse ~omtlmes stumbling
over log or fallen tree and coming %
his knees. 40 other times sliding down
some bank. when in the Tar distance, |
Lrarl something that sounded worse
than the muttrring thunder to me-that
urst oi those Wild mountain regions at
that period the scream Ot a panther.
10 camr Occasionally in short, suapplsh
quiyrrs. making my horse restlve
aud fairly tremb.e under me; AMI yet,
alter hearing Il once Ur twice, / telt re2s-
surrd 10 seemed tD grow fainter, as u
DIVING away 900 tine distance, finally end
ins altogether But 10 hal had the ei-
t,.rt ui hurryiug me forward at whatever
risk uf possibly breaking my neck, until
al length I was satisfied that ] hat got
ten into the brlile path again, ds ! came
t1 an upeu piece %, water, the crossing
ui a creek, apparently-th the faint re-
He,.tion of the surface, despite the deep
darkness, making IL plainly percepu-
bile
~upposiug of course, that it must be
A ford. or regular Cru>,Ing-place, /
rode straight across and found myself
ON the opposite side I'm a thiCSrt 90 laur-
ell bu,hrs-I could feel them but my
horse couldn't climb up the steep bank.
Thoroughly perpleNed, and getting ner-
youS As the heavy thunderstorm was
RAPIDLY coming closer AMI ] had no de-
sir. tn hr caught ont there iu the creek,
or even ou It's banks, ! got uH my horse
and down into the water ami under
took carefully % feel for horse tracks, tu
see. II possible, how, after entering the
creek, they turned uu leaving 10. Tn
able tO satisfy myself, / next tired, IN
the deep darkness, % ride down the bel
.fthr creek buJ fifty yardS or Sd OF ex-
pertinent. as ] tlounderrd IN and Out oi
deep holes and over ~uukeu logs, salts
ne,l me that 10 wouldn't do, SD, return
lus % the ford once more, fortunately a
sharp flash of tightening showed me
horse tracks. and a sort Ot path leading
down the bank ui the creek on the same
side had approached %, and finally a
SHARP gailOp ul twenty minutes, as the
lightning Was more irrq enabled me
o. reach "a clearing and cabin, ami tu
yet my horse aud myself under shelter
lust as the storm came down with the
utmost fury, making me thankful
enough that it had not caught me cut
IN the dark woods. That jauut was one
Il many such experiences, where had'
an the blind forest paths, 20 trust the
instincts Of my horse for holding the
right direction tO places Of shelter, al
thOugh-as IL prOyed-he was not capa-
Bile oi leading off after getting clear OF
the woods aud into the bed ui the creek.
hal dropped in upon "a settler named
Bill Short. who, late a. % was, dld not
intend tD let me 20 Suuper.esS to beet
With hOu~,. iuI 0i children, and only
thr roam below AMI the loft above 10 On
ar,-ummudatr the whole crowd, he Was
al,nut the iolliest chap / had encounter
e,l Tor many a day. Taking down some
strips Il dried vpuisOn, his wife made a
snrt Of sayory stew Of il, and this, flank
Ell by rorn-dudgers hurried mp IN the
ssme handy way, and some honey-iur
hr al found q hcy-tree lew DAYS he-
iur,-Irit mr nothing to wish, i"r, De-,
sid,s tHr~, wiIS supplied the place OF cot
lee. % mr always tir>, rate substitute
or alternative.
The luIgiug Was uuA SO easily mau-
agrd at least there was uO chance inr
NE except ON the floor, with my Sable
lor q pillow aui my Saddie-b.anSet uu-
der mr. but DO has always been puzzle
a. me " here AMI how the good woman
slowed away eight rhUIryu, three of
them daughters almost grown, although
tWu fruudI,-hyd~ ulJly,l a large part iu
d.suasiug of thv smaller iry, and the
Ioff ~uf.yrI tor tbr BOYS there being
hut two hyl~ iu tur ruuW below. 10, at
Ter aIl. shows huN very little could Jc-
clmmodatr. AMI satisfy too, the early
settlers. for merrirr crowd ] have sci
dom fallen among Iu any circle or COuiI-
tiUu iu .Ile.
The next morning when | came On
leave. cOuldu' . induce my Siud-hearted
and pleasant host O. take anything, but
Il Was some satisfaction finally, tu rc,
muueratr him With a good supply of
u,wier. which caused to be- conveyed
io him; i0r that article seemed % be all
that he crayed or needed to make him
reasonably happy, apart IRON MS innate
and complete freedom from care.
ON nv return by another road, how
ever. ON reaching he banks Of Biz
SANDY. and proposing 10 lord it, | was
diverted tO a ford several miles from
xher, struck the bank of the river; but
NV trials on this journey appeared un-
COMMONLY numerous, for, ON calling al
a cabin in the vicinity OF the place where
/ MAS expecting % cross the stream, a
little how was sent with me % point out
,bs crossing. didn't much like the
looks of the alleged 'iOrd' IA II was
onel. but, riding into the river prompt
~ I soon found my steed swimming IN
stead of wading the stream. However,
considering myself fairly in for il,
nnsbsJ bodily for the other side, but TO
y, disyuest. on reaching il | found
"a IN encounter q ledge Of rocks under
Y'ster and not far beneath the surface
Int after two or three efforts, my horse
,sa,sJ ont on the bani, after narrowly
...,.soin0 rolling over backward into deep
- and i at last succeeded in getting
nm the high bank. EncNuntering lqSt
here an old hunter, who lived IN the
nsiybborhOOd. | inquired OF HIM II
utAknN - !. afnrl pt His ranlN