Heroes and Hunters of the West: Comprising Sketches and Adventures of Boone, Kenton, Brady, Logan, Whetzel, Fleehart, Hughes, Johnson, &c.Frost, John
History
Heroes and Hunters of the West: Comprising Sketches and Adventures of Boone, Kenton, Brady, Logan, Whetzel, Fleehart, Hughes, Johnson, &c.
Frost, John
Frontier and pioneer life -- Ohio River Valley; Indian captivities
Their object accomplished, our men gathered up all the surviving horses,
fifteen in number, returned upon their trail, and rejoined us at our camp
in the afternoon of the same day. They had rode about one hundred miles in
the pursuit and return, and all in about thirty hours. The time, place,
object and numbers considered, this expedition of Carson and Godey may be
considered among the boldest and most disinterested which the annals of
western adventure, so full of daring deeds, can present. Two men in a
savage wilderness, pursue day and night an unknown body of Indians into
the defiles of an unknown mountain--attack them on sight without counting
numbers--and defeat them in an instant--and for what?--to punish the
robbers of the desert, and revenge the wrongs of Mexicans whom they did
not know. I repeat it was Carson and Godey who did this--the former an
American, born, in Booneslick county, Missouri; the latter a Frenchman,
born in St. Louis--and both trained to western enterprise from early
life.
ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.
As early as the year 1790, the block-house and stockade, above the mouth
of the Hockhocking river, was a frontier post for the hardy pioneer of
that portion of the state from the Hockhocking to the Sciota, and from the
Ohio river to the northern lakes. Then nature wore her undisturbed livery
of dark and thick forests, interspersed with green and flowery prairies.
Then the axe of the woodman had not been heard in the wilderness, nor the
plough of the husbandmen marred the beauty of the green prairies. Among
the rich and luxuriant valleys, that of the Hockhocking was pre-eminent
for nature's richest gifts--and the portico of it whereon Lancaster now
stands, was marked as the most luxuriant and picturesque, and became the
seat of an Indian village, at a period so early, that the "memory of man
runneth not parallel thereto." On the green sward of the prairie was held
many a rude gambol of the Indians; and here, too, was many an assemblage
of the warriors of one of the most powerful tribes, taking counsel for a
"war-path," upon some weak or defenceless post.
[Illustration: THE BLOCK-HOUSE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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