St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-08-19

crossing, and fearlessly plunged into
the heart of the enemy's country.
He had undertaken this expedition
against the advice of his friends, and
even the entreaties of his wife.
The winter had been a hard one.
There was Il shOrtness of supplies i'll
his humble larder, and game was un-
commonly scarce on his own side of
the river. These considerations were
sufficient to impel him upon his dan
gerous errand, in spite of all the war
nings and forecasts of misadventure
that were held forth to deter him.
He had capital sport, and shot n
number of deer and wild turkeys, car
casses of which he secreted, to await
conveyance to his home, when the sub
siding waters of the river and other
favOring circumstances should enable
him to make another trip on horseback
for that purpose, and accompanied by
his associates.
1t was toward the middle of the af
ternOon when he started to return
home, from which he then found him
self about eight miles distant.
Up to this time he had not encoun-
tered il single red man, or even any
signs of their being in his vicinity.
But he had no sooner quilted the belt
of timber in which he had been hunt
ing, and begun to make his way across
the broad, rolling and somewhat bro
ken plateau that lay between him and
the precipitious river-bank, than IL shot
from a concealed foeman whistled
through his squirrel-skin hunting-cap.
He at once crOuched close to the
ground, and prepared for fighting.
But another and yet another shot
followed the first in swift succession,
and, upon peeping up from his semi
covert, he was astOnished at perceiV-
ing il score or more of savages cauti-
ously but rapidly approaching his po-
sitiOn from different points of the for
est.
He was astonished, but not alarmed,
though he at once knew them to he
hostile Shawnees, from the peculiarity
of their Scanty costumes, and therefore
understood that nothing but his scalp
would satisfy their murderous inten-
| tiOns.
They had him almost surrounded,
and there was nothing to do but to run
for it; so, after bringing down the
foremost by well-directed shot, Van
Bibber suddenly sprang to his feet and
sped over the open plain like hun
ted stag, escaping the numerous shots
that were sent after him as if by Il
miracle, and with the entire band i'll
yelling and blood-thirsty pursuit.
Van Bibber who was foremost run
ner, however, was under no apprehen-
sion of being Overtaken by his enc
mics, swift of foot as they undOubted-
ly were.
1t may here be observed, in passing
that it is not Il common mistake tC
suppose that the Indian has, as Il rule
ever been able to surpass the white
hunter III woodcraft, natural cunning,
or any If the athletic exercises belong
ing to his own savage condition and
training.
1t needs but to recall the examples
or Boone, Kenton, Brady, the Weitze
brothers and many others too numer-
Gus to mention, to prove the contrary
Upon anything like an equal footing
Caucasian intelligence, allied witt
Caucasian strength and daring, ha.
ever proved the red mans superior
even upon his native heath, and among
his chosen and hereditary employ
mcntS.
Captain Van Bibber had long beeI
noted as the strongest, tleeteSt ant
most formidable hunter of til,
Kanawha Valley. Nobly did he vim
dicate his reputation on that eventfu
day.
He not only acquitted himself Sc
creditably as to keep beyond the rang,
of the poor rifles with which his pur
suers were armed, but was also enabled
to load and fire as he ran, thus caus
ing several of them to bite the dust be
fore they finally drove him to bay on
upon the furthermost point of Wah
kun gcc-tah, the great, ijutting rocl
overlooking the terrible whirlpool IA
the foot of the falls, and his humble
but smiling home on the far opposite
bank.
Yes, the Indians, though unable t,
OVertake their fugitive had neVerthe
less succeeded in battling all his at
tempts to reach the river at the pOin
ut which he had effected crossing il
the morning.
They had so managed to dictate TIN
I direction of his flight us to bring hin
ut last to final and apparently hope
!. less stand upon the very edge of thi
!. tremendous abyss, with obviously IL
. choice left him but surrender or deaf
\ at their hands, or an equally fata
= plunge into the boiling, caldrOn-lik
= whirlpool, far, far below.
But, even i'll this desperate strai
i Van Bibber did not lose jot of hi
= cool and collected daring.
Ensconcing himself behind sma
group of stones and bushes, and load
q ing and discharging his trusty riff
: with wonderful rapidity, he succeede
= i'll keeping the enemy at bay for MOI
d than quarter of an hour, i'll full vie
T. of his wife and friends on the opposit
is bank of the river, while the Indian
II though not venturing out upon til
d open shelf, within range of his terribl
h craftsmanship, clustered along i
it bushy sides, and even crept down f;
+, below in the very face of the elf
:. yelling like demons, i'll the certaint
q of his speedy capture or death, an
q seeking every opportunity to pick hi
off from behind his little fastness
Z, which he had temporarily intrencht
l., himself.
le That it was only temporarily, 500
Is became evident.
.r Captain Van Bibber suddenly stol
ST ped firing, and, for the first time, a fee
/ ing of despair must have come ov,
him. He had used his last bullet
q his pouch, and was no longer capab
~ of defense
1t The savages soon suspected as niue
n and began to swarm over the rock
= full view, and with revengeful cries.
ar But mt this instant, when he w
~ about giving himself up for lost,
n clear, encouraging cry came fioatiI