Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-05-21

tIS luuldilS, our heroes dTOS0 III
their canoe, to give them an open
ing broadside; but unfortunately,
the printing was wet, and they
failed to fire. Had not the same
accident beiaffeff the enemy, the
result of the canoe fight might
have been very different. Dale.
now ordered Caesar to bring his
boat alongside the other, and hold
them together. The warriors, con
fident of their strength, and eager
TO grapple with three men, whose
guns would not fire, allowed their,
boat to move leisurely along with
the current.
AS the two neared each other,
the Chief arose, and with an eiacu-
lation of defiance to Big Sans
leveled his gun at Smiths breast;
but before he could draw trigger,
the latter directed blow at him,
which would have proved fatal,
had it not been adroitly avoided.
The canoes came together with a
jar, which threw Austill slightly
off his balance, and ere he could
regain it, a well-directed blow
from a war-club Frustrated him
across the boat. A half dozen
powerful arms were raised to COM
plete the work, when the heavy
rifle of Dale came down upon the
head of the Chief, with force
which sunk it deep into his skull.
Smith had not been less active,
and his trusty barrel had fallen
with like effect upon the skull of
another warrior; and the two now
felt their death throes in the bot.
tom OF the canoe.
Austill had, in the meantime,
recovered, and added his strength
to the work of destruction. The
bold Caesar held the boats togeth-
er with an iron grasp, and with
one foot in each, our heroes fought.
Two successive blows from Aus
till's rifle despatched two of the
enemy, one Of whom fell over
board. Thinking to make sure of
his foe, Austill leaned forward to
strike, when he was again pros
trated by an Indianclub. The ex-
ulting savage, never forgetful of q
scalp, raised the war-whoop-- seiz-
ed his victim by the hair--the
scalp-knife glittered in the air,
when another timely blow from
Dale's clubbed rifle divided his
skull. Tradition says, that SO great
was che force of The blow, the skull
was split from the crown to the
vertebral column.
In the meantime. Smith at the
other end of the canoe, grappled
with two lusty warriors. He was
powerful man; but the chances
were now against him. The iron
clutches of one of his assailants
are upon his throat-the toma.
hawk of the other above his head |
one canoe, one in the other; with q
He sees his danger; one foot is in
desperate effort he gets both feet
IN one canoe, and draws one In
dian after him, while the sudden
movement separates the end of the
boats, and leaves the other behind,
to meet the fate of those who had
already come within the range of
Dale's and Austill's rifles. Smith
had now his enemy in his power,
and soon despatched him. The
conflict now became equal--three
to thee. The savages, reduced in
number from nine to three, now
fought with the energy of despair.
Light and active, they avoided
many of the blows of the whites,
and dealt in return, such well d.
rected ones, that they were begin
ming to tell in their favor, when
Dale, calling to Cesar to hold the
boats firmly together, sprang upon
one OF the seats, and dealt a blow
which shivered a club which had
been directed to meet it, and lev
eled another warrior. The re-
naming two were left to have de-
struction meeted out to them at
the hands of the victorious Dale:
who, while Smith and Austill
leaned upon their bloody and brain.
spattered rifles, despatched them
at two successive blows. During
the whole Of this sanguihary con
fiict, the heroes were encouraged
by the continued cheers of their
comrades, on either bank.
Of the nine warriors, Smith
killed two, Austill two, and Dale
five. Having laid them all low"
says Mr.. Pickett, "these undaunt-
ed Americans began to cast them
into The bright waters of the Ala
bama-their native stream now
to be their grave. Every time
savage was raised up from the bot
tom Of the canoe, and slung into
the water, the Americans ON the
banks set up shouts loud and
long, as some slight revenge for
the tragedy of Fort Minis. The
Indian canoe presented a sight un-
usually revolting-seyeral inches
deep in savage blood-thickened
with clots of brains and punches
of hair" etc.
A few years previous to the ca
noe fight, Gen. Dale was engaged
in another hand-to- hand rencontre,
hardly less exciting. There is SO
much Of the spirit of wild adven-
tnre and romance connected with
the incident, we are surprised that
IL has NOT. ere fhia hean male fha