The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1881-07-26
HOW he LOST HIS HAIR.
~ SELF sHAnpESLR.

hlver, made the acquaintance OF
rough, handy frontiersman. who had
spent the prime of his lie amid the
wids Of the far West in the occupa-
ton of trapper, employed by the Hud-
son Bay Company.
He soon became the lion OF the So
cial circle, by his wild and stirring
tales OF adventure, Of captivity by the
red men of the forest, and hair-breadth
escapes from ferocious wolves, bears,
and buffaloes.
He had great number Of scars,
some very noticeable ones, one
which was a bald head, the scalp be-
ing gone. This circumstances attract
ed the attention OF quite crowd, all
anxious, and inportuning. for the tale
it would unfold, to which, after Wis.
it to the bar. and taking huge quid |
of homes dew, which he slowed away |
in one cheek, he responded in, as near
as | can recollect, the following Ian
guage:
"Wal, boys, 1t war obout twenty
years agone when this circumstance
tuck place, aud alters sit mad as
wet hen, whenever ! think of it. You
see we war part Of the Hudson Bay
Company, that war a.trappin'' for
beaver and SIGH like. Tor their fur and
pelts, and war scattered all over the
head waters OF the Missouri and Col
ulnbia Rivers. The mean, thievin'
skunks of Insins didn't often poster
us, except we war in small companies,
which war sometimes the case; then
some OF our furs or pelts and provi-
sions would pay the penalty, and, in
a few cases, they killed the unlucky
trapper. Bnt we most alters made
'em pay dearly for their sport, and, in
the long run, we got two scalps for
their one.
"But sot out to tell how | lost my
har, and this is the way it happened.
| war a-trappin' on small stream
that ran INTO the Saskatchewan River
along with two other chums, Jim
Bradley aud Sam Wicks, two as good
fcllcrs as handled shootin' Iron. We
had been very lucky, and he'd got a
good lot of iurs, and q choice place to
trap and hunt in. Thar war plenty
of higgins ronnd, but they alters seem
etl-to be very friendly, and at last we
got sorter careless, and didn't keep as
sharp look-ou as we should hcv
done, and Tor this car.lessness we paid
dearly, aud | shall carry this bald
top-knot 10 my grave, as a reminder
of it.
Gone night shall alters remem-
Der 1.-THE sky war dark and lowerin',
lookin'as il heavy storm wara-b CIV.
in. We had all gone to our beds,
aud soon war fast asleep. How long
I he'd been sleepin' l don't know; but
all to wunst | war awakened by the
infernalist whoopin' and yellin' / ever
heard in my born days. knew in
an Instant that we war surrounded by
the rcd devils of Ingins. We all
three sprung for our guns; sometbin'
knocked me senseles, and | war out
r Of the fight. The first that | remcm-
! bered alter, ! war scttin' on the
grounl whar our tent hail been, look
: in round like fool. The hevins war
y black with clouds, and the rain pour-
in down in torrents. war a-bleed
in on the head, and it war runnin'
= down inter my eyes. After short
time my head began to hurt. / put
my hand up to the top Of my head;
then the truth Of the matter burst
upon me all to wunst; the hull top
scalp had been taken off. Thar wal
wound on my forehead. he'd been
G shot; the ball he'd glanced off, stun
{ min me, and the cusscd Ingins had
/. thought war wiped out, and to CON-
: plete their job, the mean, internal
skunks he'd raised my har.
: "rhis las. war Almost too much fol
me. i would not hev minded bcin'
killed; but it war very aggravatin to
! think the mean devils he'd my scaiI
a-totin' round with them, to crow
and brag about. / got SO mad
a-thinkin' it over, that | got upon
my feet, and looked round; then
got madden yet. Nothin' war left
Tho Ingins he'd completely surprised
9 us. What he'd become OF my clums
|, | couldn't tell, but l supposed they
, had been taken prisoners. AT any
| rate, ! couldn't see anything Of theil
bodies near our camp, or whar it he'd
: been; tor they he'd robbed us Of all
our furs, pelts, grub, tcnt-every.
thing had been carried off. My head
didn't feel very comfortable, so / tool
my cotton shirt, AMI bound it up a,
., well as | could. This 'stopped thu
floor Of blood, and then / felt some
, better. N
AT this point Of narration, tho ole
trapper paused to take on board {
fresh quid Of tobacco, and was asked
> what he did next.
A"Wall," said he, al didn't sta,
} thar long; | Just made bee-lme fol
the nearest camp ! knew. and tina,
was about twenty miles. got thai
} just at sunset and told the trappers al
| knew Of the hull circumstance. A
. runner was dispatched TO head-quar.
9 ters, some twelve or fifteen miles, fol
! reinlorcements, and by daylight nexI
, morning, thirty-six bold, hardy trap,
, pers war after the red Williams. i wal
to weak to make one of the party; sc
,, / staid to take care of the camp.
"They war gone three days, and
came back without the loss Of one o.
the party, but with an addition o.
two, in persons of my late cbums, that
! he'd almost given given up for dead
, and also all Of our furs, polts and guns
| that thep'd stolen; and. what pleased
J me better than all the rest, war eleven
: Ingin scalps. and one white mans
: which | knew at q glance to belong to
the top Of my own head. The boys
come upon the mean cusses in good
| ,,,,o. tka,, ,,,aobt lon1,,a, e., a. l.,