The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-07-03
AN OLD Hu NTER's STORY /.

When l went to Iowa Territory, in
1918, I made my home with an old
by the name of Green
who went from Western Pennsylva-
MIA, where he had led u pretty
eventful life, his house having been
burned twice over his head by In
dians, during the carly settlement
of that state. He had lost two of
his children by the same means, so
that he had cause enough to emil
CRATE.
He settled on Mansions River, or
rather Creek, which flowed just by
his door, and which mile or two
below descended fully a hundred
feet by series of rapids which were
sure death to any man to attempt
to shoot who was not perfect mas
ter in guiding canoe. Green could
never summon courage to attempt
ii in his birch canoe until he had
seen me do it but he gained cour-
age after awhile, and learned to do
it with an case and confidence equal
to my own. When we engaged in
fishing we frequently performed the
feat, until it became a matter of
amusement with both of us.
Green had wife, and one child
of about six years, who was as inter-
esting a little girl as l ever saw. I
was as much attached to her, as l
never had a family of my own, and
she appeared to regard me with an
affection second only to that which
she entertained for her parents.
Shortly after l took up my quar-
ter, with them, in the autumn of
1918, I was seized with the chills
and fever, and did not entirely re-
cover until spring. I was nursed
and treated so well by the entire
family, that when | became well
again, agreed to remain through
the season, and to assist him in
clearing his land, and getting his
scanty seed under ground.
At that time there were Indians
all around us, and some of them
were of the very worst kind. They
hated a white man like poison, and
1 was sure we should have trouble
with them. 1t was that, more than
anything else, that made me anxious
to remain with them until the coun-
try became more settled.
The season was pretty well ad-
vanced, when a man called at our
house one day and told us that a
party of Indians had attacked the
settlers farther up the creek, and
after massacreing several families,
were descending the creek in large
canoe, for the purpose of serving us
in the same manner.
This was alarming news indeed,
and we decided to change our quar-
ters at once, while there was a pros
pect of escape. Green proposed
that we should start through the
woods for the settlement; but as
that was twenty miles distant and l
knew they would follow our trail
with the speed and certainty of the
bloodhound, he took my advice,
which was to embark in the canoe,
leaving everything behind us. By
this means we could effectually
cover our trail aud as the shores
were both lined with a luxuriant,
overhanging underground, we could
glide under cover, and remain con-
cealed until the danger had passed.
This was a good plan, and would
have succeeded admirably had it
been adopted an hour sooner. The
hunter who had given us the intel
ligence started at once down the
stream, in the hopes that he might
be able to warn some of the other
settlers in time. The light canoe
comfortably seated us four, includ-
ing the little girl, and within fifteen
minutes after the alarm reached us
we showed out from the bank, Green
took the paddle and we started on
our perilous descent of the creek,
which, however, was large enough
to deserve the name of river,
We had scarcely showed out from
the shore when a whoop reached
our ears, and looking back, we saw
to our dismay that the Indian canoe
was in sight. The redskins had
discovered us and naturally enough
determined that we would not
elude them in this easy manuer. 1
glanced at the miscreapts, as they
came dashing down the stream, al
most with the speed of the wind,
and saw that the conoe was occupi-
ed by five of them.
"Now, Green 2" said l, fuse the
paddle, for all depends on that"
l never saw him use the oars with
such skill. He had seen enough oi
Indians to understand that it was
1