The Russellville Democrat., 1884-08-21

I was taking q ride through the
country, admiring the luxuriant vegeta-
ton, the lazy swing of the birds and the
ripple of shining waters, when at an
abrupt turn of the road came across
MISUNDERSTANDING cabin, the only sign
of life about it being white-headed old
CRACKER" who was lolling on the
doorstep, viciously sucking at the stem
of sublimely dirty clay pipe.
As was tired and very thirsty, rode
up and asked him if he could give me
drink of water.
Hardly looking up, he Hospitality
pointed to bucket and said: Light,
stranger, take the gourd and help your
self.H / dismounted, tied my horse to o
convenient sapling, took a drink OF
water, and Judging that here would be
a good chance TO Gull some interesting
facts relative to the history of the
country, offered him cigar and took a
seat on the doorstep beside him. The
cigar seemed to have magnetic in
fiuence upon him, loosened his tongue,
and he told me of a most surprising
adventure he had once had with the
Indians during the war of 1887.
Said he: " Stranger, / am sixty-seven
wears old an / never struck a white
man in my life, but I've fit Ingins till ye
can't rest, an I've changed eends With
a good many niggers, for | never did
tote any sass from niger, an amt
agoin' to tote 1t now, old as | be, even
if they is freemen." and then, after .
few desultory recollections he told me
of the following strange adventure:
One cold day in December he had
zone into the woods to look at his traps,
and, it being time of supposed peace,
had left his trusty gun at home. 1t was
an unusually cold day for Florida, and,
besides his heavy clothing, he had a
large thick blanket thrown around him.
He had reached point about five miles
from his house. when, looking through
the woods, he saw large body of In
dams moving in his direction.
He was almost petrified with fear at
first and could not move from his posi-
ton. Another moment and it was too
late. The Indians had discovered him,
and with fiendish yells were in hot pur-
suit. Now came a wild race with a hu-
man life as the stake; up hill and down
hill, through briars and tangled woods,
the savages gaining at every step. He
knew they would catch him before he
could reach his own house, so bent all
his energies toward a dismantled mon
asterv that had been erected by the
Spaniards more than a century before.
Of these ruins only the tall chimney re-
NAMED. Built Of Coquina rock, it had
defied the winds and rains of almost
countless seasons and lowered above
the dismal landscape, a monument to
what had been, perhaps, scene OF hor-
rible midnight murder. With supreme
effort he managed to scramble up this
chimney, and climbing nearly to the
top was, as he thought, beyond the
reach of his foes.
When the Indians saw him disappear
in the chimney, after their first yell of
disappointment, they gathered heaps OF
bark and brush and made roaring fire
to roast the imprisoned foe, but he told
me that he frustrated their amiable de-
sign by taking off all his clothes, and
placing them with the blanket, which
be had strangely held on to all during
the race, in the chimney below him,
and this prevented the flames from
reaching him:
Put said l, II should have thought
the clothing would have taken fire and
burnt up"
$50 'twould, stranger, said he, ''but
We see it war powerful warm whar ]
war, an sweated SO smart like that il
kept them ar fixins soakin' wet, an fire
couldn't ketch on. AFTER they thought
/ war all burnt up, they left an | elm
down and went home. That chunk OF
rock in thar KEN outer that self, same
chimbly."
Goodbye, old man." said |, as
remounted my horse, ''you can discount
Eli Perkins every time. Cor. Phila.
delDhid Press.