Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-15

sufficient - lmpcl nm upou his dam
! gerouS GRAND. IN spite uf all the warm
I'LL, and forecasts ST misadyeu-
ture that were held forth e. deter him,
He had capitalSpo ana Shot NUM-
her Of deer and wild turkeys. carcaSSes
II which he sccreted to await CON
vcvance t. his home, when the snhSid-
I ing waters of the river and other favor
ing circumstances should enable HIM
IL make another trip ON horseback for
! that purpose, and accompanied hy his
associates.
ltwaS toward the middle Of the after
/ noon when he started 10 return home,
from which lie found himself about
eight miles distant
Up to this timc tie had not cncoun-
tered single red man, or even amy
sign, of their being in his vicinity. But
I ho had no sooner Quilted tho belt OF
timber III which he had been hunting,
and began To- make his way across the
broad, rolling and somewhat broken
plateau that hay between him and the
PERCEPTIONS rivrr-hank, than Il Shot
from concealed focman whiStled
through his Squirrel-Skin cap lle AT
once crouehcd close 70 the ground and
prepared for fighting.
But another and vet another Shot
I followed the first in swift succession,
and, upon peeping up from his semi
covert, he WAS astonishcd II pWceiving
a score or mere of SaNageS cautiously
but rapidly approaching his position
from different points OF the forest
He was astonishcd. but NOT alarmed,
though he ut once knew them 10 be
4 hostile Shawnccs, from the popularity
of their scanty costumes. and threiore
understood that nothing but his scalp
would satisfy their murdcrouS intcu-
\ tionS.
They had him almost surrounded,
aud there was nothing Is do but to run
for it, 50, after bringing down the fore
most by i wcll-cirectcd shot Van Bill
ber suddenly slu"ng to his feet ana
sped over the open plain like a hunted
stag, escaping the numerous shots that
twere sent after him rs If 10y miracle,
land with the entire band in yelling and
blood-thrsty pursuit
4 Van Bibber, who was famous run
ner however, was untler no apprchen-
sion Of being overtaken 10y his enemies
swift Of. foot as they undoubtedly
We're S5.@
1t may here be observed, in passing,
/ that it is u common mistake to suppose
that the Indian has, ais a rule, ever
been able to surpass the white hunter
in woodcraft, natural cunning, or amy
of tine athletic exercises belonging 10
his own savage condition and trimming.
Hneeds but to recall the examples
of Boone, Kenton,i Brady, tho Weitzel
brothers and many others too numcr-
ous to mention, to prove the contrary.
lpon anything like an even footing,
| Caucasian intelligence, allied with eau
casian strength and daring, has ever
proved the red mans superior even
upon his native heath, and among his
chosen and hereditary employmcntS
Captain Van Blhbcr had long been
noted MS the strongest tlccteSt and most
formidable hunter Of the kmawhe
Valley Noblv lid he vindicate his
reputation on that cvcntful day.
He not only acquitted himself SO
creditably ~ to keep beyond the range
of the poor rifles with which his pur-
sucrS were armed but Was also enabled
TO load and fire as he ran, thus cauS-
inTc SffEEG ey naS drG29 HIN 70 b aY out out
upon the furthcrmost point Of Wah.
lllm-gec-tah, the great, iutting rock
overlooking tho terrible whirlpool At
the foot Of the falls, and his humble
but smiling home on the far opposite
bank
Yes, the Indians though unable TO
oyortakc their fugitive had neverthe-
less succeeded in battling all his at
tempts to reach the river al the point
mt which he had effected Il crossing in
the morning
| They had 80 managed to dictate the
direction of his flight as To bring him
At last to a final and apparently hope
less stand upon the very edge Of this
tremendous abyss with obviously no
choice left him but surrender or death
ut their hands, on M equally fatal
plunge into the boiling caldron-liko
whirlpool, far, far below
But, even in this desperate strait,
Van Bibbcr did not lose lot of Lis cool
and collected daring
| Erssoncing himself behind a small
group Of stones and bushes, and load
ing and discharging his trusty rife
with wonderful rapidly, he succeeded
in Keeping the enemy at bay for more
than quarter OF al hour, in full view
of his wife and friends on the opposite
bank ofthe river, while tho indians.
though not venturing out upon the
open shelf within range Of his terrible
craftsmanship, clustered along its
bushy sides, and even crept down far
below in the very face Of the cliff, Yell
ing like demons. III the certainty of his
speedy capture a. death, and seeking
every opportunity 70 pick him OF from
behind his little fa~tness in which he
had temporarily intrenched himself
That il VAS only temporarily, soon
became evident
Captain Van Bibhcr suddenly ceased
firing, ard for the first time feeling 81
despair must have come over MIN He
had used the last bullet in his pouch,
and vas no longer capable of defense.
The savagcs soon suspected a. much,
land beganto swarm over the top of the
rock in full view, and with rovongcfii