A BORDER HERO.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVII, Issue LVII, 28 April 1910, Page 3

A BORDER HERO.

> (By Emerson Bennett.) In the troublous times of the ear settlement of the West men were oi>c< employed to roam the pathless wikte ness in the capacity of scouts and spie in order to detect the approach ot larj or small parties of Indians, and gn timely warning to the scattered settler that they might collect in a body 1 meet and repel their red foes, or ni protection inside of their rude forts. Sitting at our comfortable fireside in our well-guarded homes, i& is din cult to realize the hardships and peri of those devoted men, who were alnioj continuously traversing hundreds c miles of unbroken wilderness — somt times alone, sometimes with a compai ion or two — not knowing at what me ment or in what place the swift arroi or bullet from an ambushed foe migh put a sudden end to their career. The; constantly, so to speak, carried thei lives in their hands, and when weanei with their long day's march, they rolle< themselves in their blankeics and la; down to sleep under the branching tree and broad canopy of heaven, in fai: weather or foul, on warm nights oj cold, it was always with a niysterioui uncertainty whether they would wak« again in this world or the dfcher. In the summer of 1794, three of these brave scouts, who had escorted a packei boat from Maysville, Kentucky, up the Ohio river, to a point past the Big Sandy, where the country was considered safe for the voyagers, were on their return down the river in a canoe, which had been taken up with them for this purpose. They were floating down the river in good spirits ; for they had been successiul in their toil, and this was their time for rest, having now nothing to do but to keep their little craft in the current and let it drift. knew that the forests lining both banks of the river might, and probably did, conceal a merciless foe, and that a fatal bullet might reach them at any moment ; but the chances of this were so remote, comparatively speaking, that they scarcely gave a thought to the subject, and the fear, which might have troubled an inexperienced man, was to these brave fellows unknown. When nearly opposite the mouth if the Scioto, a tributary of tho Ohio, 0110 of the three, a bright-looking young man of twenty-two, said to his companions : "I say, boys, just put me ashore here, and I'll go up to a deer lick, right over the hill yonder, and see if I can bring in .some game. A little fresh meat now will not bo a bad thing to take." "Don't you think it too risky ju&t - now, Duncan?" queried one of his com- -. panions. "You know, on our way up,-. ' we found a, canoe sunk in th,e mud pn the oiflior side of .the [river, which,' wasi , proof enough that a party of IndianSj' had crossed ov.er tb.ere,, and it's,. just j-S'' , like as nqt- they're back , here again,. and prowling round.; it may be watching ud ' from the very point where vovi want Do,; land.'f ".'.,, „' ' V '"':•■ T.he , young man laughed. - "To hear words of caution from Nat Beasley is like listening to the devil quote Scripture," he' said gayly. 1 "I don't often do it, that's a fact,' was th© rejoinder, "but somehow I seem to smell Indian in the air to-day." "Well, I'll risk my part of it, if you 1 are not afraid to land me," returned the intrepid Duncan. , "All right, then, and ashore you go, 1 even if it'sgood-by forevor," said the I other, as with his long paddle he sent • tho oanoe toward the land. ' j "Do you want me to go along with ' you, Duncan?" asked the other one if the three. • ' j "No, Tom; you had better stay n th,e canoe with Nat," was tho answer. "If. there is any danger one will ?e enough to lose." | "Yes, and one too many, my friend. ' Shall we wait for you hero, or drop along down?" 1 "Oh, tho latter, decidedly — for, f , the savages are about here, they might I surprise you and cut us all off. Besides, ' > if they should see you waiting here they would bo certain of somebody being ' ashore, and then they would either at- - tack you or follow me." ; The river bank was approached caufci--ously, at a point where there was the < least brushwood, and as soon as oho ; young man had landed, the canoe, , t < his request, was paddled out into tho 1 middle of the stream and allowed "o < float with the current as before, Lho 1 understanding being that, unless hailed 1 iby him sooner, his companions were i 0 1 land at an open place, from one to two ' i miles bolow, where there would be little 1 or no danger of a surprise. 1 j After getting ashore, young Duncan ' ( assumed all Lhe wary caution of an ex- j perienced borderer, his keen, quick eyes 1 peering all about him, anr- taking n 1 every tree and bush, with the sharp j scrutiny of one who allows nothing 1 o : escape his trained vigilance. Then he 1 moved cautiously forward, gliding 1 through the bushes almost as silently { as a serpent till he reached the lick. I ] A lick, as it is called in Western ' < parlance^, is a salt spring, where the overflowing waters deposit a thin in- f crustation of salt upon the surface of < the ground. These springs, here and 1 there, dotted the great American wU- 1 dorness of that period, and were the j resorts of all tho wild animals, especi- j ally of the herbivorous kind, such as 1 deer and buffalo, which came to satisfy \ the cravings oi nature by licking the i saline earth. f As there was seldom any long period ] when some animal was not present at ( one of these licks, they became the favorite resorts for hunters ; but there ' ' was always more or less danger in aa- t proaching them, because they were at- , tractions to the red man as well as the ' white. , < As our hero came in sight of the deer \ lick which he had selected for his pre- 1 sent venture, he redoubled his precaxt- J tions — first, that he might not put his * life in the power of some secreted foe; ' and, secondly, that in case no foe were ' there, he might not frighten away any "* chance game. < The lick, however, proved to bo clear f of both man and beast; and having J drawn near enough to make his shot certain, ho proceeded to erect' a tern- ; porary screen, or blind, cutting down \ some bushes, and so arranging them ] before him as to present a natural appearance at lea.st to the scrutiny of a • de<?r, and behind which he could remain 1 concealed from the animal. ] Here, stretched out upon the ground, ] and his rifle pointing forward ready to ] deal sure death to any living object, the ] young man waited with the quiet pa- ] tience of an experienced hunter. Birds 1 flow over him, insects droned about him, ] the soft wind sighed through the great forest, but no other sights or sounds ' < broke the dull monotony of his lonely ] watch, till he found himself unconscious- 1 ly yielding to a drowsiness that would ] soon have ended in an unconscious sleep. .

„ ing himself with a start, Kout '. ar ply around and througl looked Sx. - fancied he saw the bi I b"««rb "««r »na i-ting on the other sio I carefully pa. •lv th ?^ a^' "''"S at last, I ho • v "Well, som<si. » n ho said to -hints**. ',„ ],0, 0 sair was t- But the somethK -. wanting to :s, the something 110 Wk \ further ht ge for a.s tho bushes paftfcv one say hold first, the grim face v 11 > 01 . p U s and thon that of an-flfci 'aefc fco ' cautiously forward, their b. ' -»y CC } j seeming to glitter as tliey stress whole scene before them. They had evidently eomo tnitlhe* Si the same object as himself, the h'6f& i- surprising some animal at the sptin Is and when they found there was roi ,t they stepped boldly forward, and stb >f revealed in the open space around t j. lick, which the saline overflowings ; j_ "n-tvvs kop-fc oloar and bare of vegottvfcio j_ They were two strong, formidab! looking warriors, armed with gur tomahawks, and knives, and our bra lt hero would gladly have withdrawn ai v j left them in peaceful possession of t" ■ r j place if this could have been done wi d safety to himself. But hig artifici ci blind was only breast-high, and th< v were so rear him that any attempt s retreat up the hill behind him woxi r have been certain to result in disco r cry, and perhaps be quickly follow* by either death, or what was sti worse, a fearful captivity and probab 3 tortures at the burning stake. It was a critical point of time in h 3 ; adventurous career, and thoughts rapi & ,' as liVhtnino; whirled and flashed throug 3 his dizzy brain, sending a burning hez ; ' through every portion of his physics . system. "At least, if I must die, I will onl L yield to fate after I have done my bes , ; for life," was his mental comment, 3 he ran his eyes along the barrel of hi rifle and took deliberate aim at th most formidable of the two warriors who chanced to be facing him, and wa looldnp; down into the spring. "I ca] at least kill one of them, and then I shall be man to man with the other." ) With this last determination he pull ed the trigger. The forest resoundei with a loud explosion, and the India] he had selected for his target droppet motionless at the feet of his brave com panion, who, contrary to savage pre cedents, did not turn to fly, but grasp ed his loaded weapon and" pointed it ai our hero. "Tliere is no merit in waiting her< to be shot like a dog,*' thought th< I vouno: white borderer, as he suddenlj bounded to his feet and ran in a zigzag mariner up the hill behind him, to pre- . vent his foe from taking a certain aim, ! With fierce yells of rage, the savage i darted forward in pursuit. I With every breath he drew the flying , fugitive expected to hear the report oi ( the Indian's gun, and perhaps feel its missile in his body. As, he neared the brow of the hill he glanced over his shoulder to see how 1 great the danger was behind, and perI reived the Indian coming at ftill £peed. ! .There was, not. a .moment to be' lost; \t)ut as, he" turned .his 1 'Head again ; 'to > f see liia course, a«a made a 'despeWte ■/sprang" forward,' ', he' suddenly, ••fo.'nis horrb'r; found himjlelf entangled' iii the branches of a fallen ;tre©. " \\ , '■ ,He was thus caught l like ; an insect in the meshes of a spider,' and, while making the most 'desp'eVat^ exertions to free himself, his savage^pursuer, seeing his predicament, made? 'a quick, halt, drewf "up his gun, '.took 1 --a hasty aim, and fired. '• ' ■ c , .''''■ Fortunately iox.'mit jiero, .tlie Indian was not a goocC marksman, or else his firearm did opt cajcry accurately, for the ringing bullet ,sped past him ; but so close to his head, as to cause him to' cast it one side instinctively. "Now that his gun is as empty as mine, I will stand -my ground for a hand-to-hand fight,?' muttered the border scout. "It shall never be said that* I fled like a coward -from a single foe." With this he was. about to come ouH of the tree on the s,ame side as he had" entered it, when suddenly the forest resoimded with a series of the most appalling shrieks and yells that seemed to curdle his blood, brave as he was ; and, glancing off to the right, he saw at least a dozen savages come leaping and bounding forward through the bushes. Now it was flight alone' that could save him; and quickly extricating himself from his perilous position, lie dashed over and down the opposite side of the hill, the Indians L all screaming after him in fierce pursuit. When he had reached the foot of the declivity he unfortunately had another ridge to ascend 4 in order to keep the course which would the most speedily take him to the river > in sight of his companions, his principal hope ; and thxmgh he fully realized the peril of thus exposing himself to the sriots of bhe whole yelling crew behind him, he instantly decided upon this risk rather bhan that of being completely cut off From his friends by a flight in another lirection. As he struggled up the acclivity, therefore, he became a fair target for his bloodthirsty foes, who were in the ict of rushing down the opposite slope, md at least twenty shots were fired it him in quick succession, most of the bullets whistling so close around him is to make him wonder at the good Providence that still kept him unharm3d. But he was not to escape entirely :ree, for, after a brief interval, there jame a single shot as if the marksman lad paused for a more deliberate aim, md he felt the shock of something strike his side, and then, the blood flowng freely down to his feet. That the sail had' passed completely through 11m, and probably given him a mortal ivound, he did not for a moment doubt, md his only wonder was that Tie still lad strength to pursue his flight and 3 id not faint or fall. "Oh, God, if I must die," he prayed, 'save me from becoming a living capiive to my merciless foes!" He reached the top of the ridge, ran lown the other slope, and up another icclivity, with such wonderful celerity chat his savage pursuers only came in sight of liim again as he neared^ the summit. They had loaded their pieces in the meantime, however, and they all now fired at him again, but, though two of the bullets cut his clothes, and jne passed through his hat, just barely grazing his soalp, he escaped without mother wound. This was the last he saw of his foes ; md, altering his course a little, he ran toward the river, where he hoped to find liis companions. To his inexpressible joy, as he came in sight of the Ohio, he beheld them ne.arlv opposite to him, in the act of paddling up the stream. They had heard the firing and yelling, and had rightly conjectured that their brave friend had been discovered and assailed by a body of savages, from whom he svas making his escape, and they were honing to be in time to aid him. He shouted to them, and they hastened to the shore, where our young hero met them, all bloody and out of breath, and really dying, as he believed. "Thank God," he said, as he sank exhausted into tjhe arras of his com-

he. panions, "that I have escaped the savliis ages to die with you." she,s They were alarmed at his condition, > of and as soon as they had got safely out into the middle of the stream again i ej " they examined his wound. To their great joy and his, it was not found that the ball, instead of passing see, through him, as he had supposed, had be- struck his powder horn 4 and driven lg c, some of the splinters into his flesh, hed which had caused the blood to flow yes freely, but in reality had only inflicted tho a trifling wound, from which he speedily recovered. for It may increase the interest of the of reader to know that the foregoing is 210 fiction, but only one of the many S> thnlhng adventures in the early life S Vsk Du^can McArthur, who subseqentw X ' came a Seilator > a member of ConT Seas a . .general in the army, fighting : 1830 WS^V ?? Qo ? G ™°r of OLio, , ; S hJSmi^- q t G te rul S over a grea * c and populous v. a fe I l^f once , un " d broken VildenK»» . ?*}• Versed in I c his youth, as a> damn*. ' l dl£m scout and h spy. I 7 3 PILES. - CURED AFTER YEARS OF SITFPEKj ING— PROOF THAT DOAN'S. OJNT- , 1 MENT WILL CUKE PILES. 3 Piles rarely kill but they cause constant torture. This is especially true 1 in 5 the case of those who are ever so slightI ly constipated. Piles can be quickly 1 and permanently cured, without pain, j cutting, or detention from business.- ' This has been proved in thousands of cases in both sexes, and of all ages, and in tho very worst as well as in ordin- > ary cases. No one who has not suffered i the torments of itching, painful, and bleeding piles can appreciate for a 1 moment the marvellous sense of relief that follows the use of Doan's Ointment. Go at once and get a pot of this Ointment; it will end your sufferings. Mr John Walsh, Mangapapa, Gisborne, who works on the railway line, says: — "For tho past twenty years 1/ I have been suffering with itching piles, ] and' until quite recently could not get anything to relieve me. A short time ago I procured Doan's Ointment, and commenced to use this preparation. I have proved that this is an excellent remedy for Piles. I used two pots and the relief has been wonderful, and tho third pot, which I am now using, will ' about complete the cure. You are quite ; welcome to publish this, so that other j sufferers may know the valuq of Doan's Ointment as a euro for Itching Piles. ' Doan's Ointment is splendid in all diseases of the skin, Piles, Eczema, i Hives, Sores, etc. It is perfectly safe ' and very effective. Very often two or three pots have cured chronic cases ; where othor remedies have failed for ! years. Doan's Ointment is sold by all chemists and storekeepers as 3s per pot, or will be posted on receipt of price by Foster-McClellan Co., 76 Pitt Street, Sydney. But, be sure- you get DOWN'S. & 8. ■>, •*. V r .. . •*, v■* y? '*.\ Vy\f"" JSVUhenr'thdro 'is a Toved 'dn^.sifik jnCfch'e' home, women are frequently obliged co undergo a long period of ,botli ;pjentalj and physical work and worry.- ■ Professional and business men, in the- pursuit of honors and wealth, are' frequently forced to bear up under a prolonged strain that threatens almost ta unsfeat the reason. Working men, and .Tvomen I in. the.batth for a competence for their farnilio-s are prone to overwork ' themselves. Ambitious students overwork and overworry their mental faculties, and are. frequently threatened with mental collapse. In all those cases KOLA' NIP is invaluable. It will sustain both body and brain -during a long period of 'high .pressure of work or worry. It keeps the tissues' of the boly ) supported with new vitalising force. 1 Travellers ■ and explorers aw ear by it. It is "jiew life." In glass .or bottle at hotels, chemists, stores, and restaurants. — Advt. . DR SHELDON'S NEW DISCOVERY For Coughs and Colds is a preparation that can be relied upon to cure all lung - troubles. It has proved a blessing in thousands of homes, and has been energetically endorsed by many of the mostprominent citizens and professional men in Australia. Dr Sheldon's New Discovery is not a patent medicine, or an ordinary cough mixture, but a scien tific discovery that will make sore lungs well. Price, Is 6d and 3s. Obtainable dverywhera.— Advt.