Year: 1879

ever, on reaching the banks of Big
Sandy, and proposing to ford it, / was
diverted to ford several miles from
where I struck the bank of the river;
but my trials on this journey appeared
uncommonly numerous, for, on calling
at cabin in the vicinity of the place
where I was expecting to cross the
stream, little boy was sent with me to
point out the crossing. I didn't much
like the looks of the alleged @ford" (if
it was one), but, riding into the river
promptly, soon found my steed swim
ming instead of wading the stream.
However, considering myself fairly in
for it, pushed boldly for the other
side, but, to my disgust, on reaching it
I found I had to encounter ledge of
rocks under water, and not far beneath
the surface; but, after two or three
efforts, my horse reared out on the bank,
after narrowly escaping rolling over
, backward into the deep water, and at
last succeeded in getting up the high
bank. Encountering just here an old
hunter, who lived in the neighborhood,
inquired of him if that was indeed a
'fordrn His reply was startling enough.


'I reckon, stranger, you're the first
one that ever forded it, for it's the
deepest part of the river this high up"
I have never yet been able to under
stand what the people were thinking of
who sent to that point for ford"


But even yet my mishaps were not
ended. Obliged to find my way along
the high bank of the stream for some
miles before reaching my destination, I
finally got tired of riding around the
heads of the small, although deep,
gullies which cut the river bottoms at
the edge of the bank. I was mounted
on an extra-fine horse, one I had taught
leaping, with the purpose of more easily
getting over large fallen trees and logs
always encountered more or less in rid
ing through the primitive forest.
Glancing across the ravine, some ten or
twelve feet wide, although the depth of
the same must have been some less
than that, and, seeing that it extended
almost quarter Of mile, irregularly, for
me to ride around, determined to test
the jumping powers Of my horse by a
running leap. Retiring, perhaps, twenty
or thirty yards, I came at the ravine on
a full run, and my horse, indeed, cleared
it, or would have cleared it handsomely,
but his hind feet broke through the
edge of the further bank, where an old
stump had rotted out, and down he
went backward into the deep gulley, I
sliding off behind as best could. Be-
fore I could straighten up he rolled
over toward me, and I was compelled
to make sort of scramble on all-fours
out of his reach, until, with one or two
founders, he stuck; and, when I got
him up and out of the place, I found he
imped, and, to punish me for my ad-
ventureus folly, hcr ncvcr got il.
have only to add that this adventure
pretty well cured me of attempts to
play the English fox-hunter in the
wilds of Kentucky.


My adventures on my way down the
river some six weeks afterward were not
much of an improvement on those ]
have already given. Having business
down the Ohio river, I concluded to
take my way down Sandy to its mouth
in small canoe or @dug-out," j" in COM
pany with remarkably y-tall fellow, some
six feet four inches high, and, with q
small box containing his @plunder," we
started. The river was quite low, and
by this time the nights had become
frosty, and, while my companion was
too big and clumsy to stand up and
@pole" the canoe, I could do it when
tired of padding the craft.


Just about sunset, while I was thus
occupied and while looking for some
settlers cabin on the bank of the river
where we could spend the night, the
canoe struck sand-bar with such 9
shock as to throw me out into the river
The water was not very deep, but il
certainly was very cold, and, wet almost
to my shoulders, and the weather frosty
as I have READY said, it became pretty
imperative to stop somewhere soon
And here was the first occasion where
had reason to complain of both Vir
ginia and Kentucky hospitality" fol
the river was the boundary along there
between the two States. Calling first
on the Kentucky side, after shiverine
walk up to double log cabin, I found
some sort of a grand frolic on hand
perhaps wedding-and no chance tc
entertain strangers. Getting into the
canoe again, I resumed the paddle, anG
my teeth fairly chartered as the nigh
became colder; suffice it that I triec
three caEins in going several mile!
down the river in the cold and dark
ness, having had long tramp up ant
across the river bottom in one instance
to where I had seen light. Various
excuses were preferred until at las
having, in the dark, come to part o
the river studded with great rocks an(
where the water ran more swiftly, I de
termined to borrow light, and, build
ing bonfire, spend the night in camp
ing out as we best could. Fortunatel,
we, about that time, heard the barking
CT dogs, and, following the sound, w
finally fetched up at an old settler
house, who welcomed us with blazin,
fire and the other accommodations s.


much needed. For some time after
ward, however, Virginia and Kentuck,
hospitality" I must confess, scenes
somewhat at discount with me; but
after all, it is fair to suppose that tn


banks of river, in almost any case, ar


not fair test for section or district
and for the very good reason that it is to


often tried overmuch by a class G
roughs seldom seen to SO much disad


vantage in the interior, to say nothin


of the frequency of such occurrences


But perhaps settler whom I one


encountered, and at whose cabin


lodged upon the hea lvaters of tn


Kentucky river, could beat even m


friend Bill Short, in his placid content