The next morning, we all three started, and by noon we had crossed the
Washita River. It is the most beautiful stream I know of, being cool
and transparent, averaging a depth of eight or ten feet, and running
upon a hard sandy bottom. While we were crossing, Boone told us that as
soon as we arrived at the summit of the woody hills before us, if we
looked sharp, we should see some bears, for he had never passed that way
without shooting one or two.
We forded the stream, and entered into a noble forest of maple trees,
the ground now rising in gentle swells for several miles, when the
fir-pines, succeeding to the maple, told us that we had reached the
highest point of the hills. Hearing some trampling and rustling at a
distance, I spurred my horse to take the lead and have the first chance
of a shot, when I perceived to my left, not twenty yards from me and in
a small patch of briars, a large she-bear playing with her cub. I was
just raising my rifle to fire, when Boone's voice called me back, and I
perceived that he and Finn had just dismounted and entered a thicket.
Knowing that they must have an object in view, I joined them, and asked
them what was the matter.
"Rare sport," answered Finn, extending his hand towards a precipitous
and rocky part of the mountain.
It was sport, and of a very singular description.
A large deer was running at full speed, closely pursued by a puma. The
chase had already been a long one, for as they came nearer and nearer, I
could perceive both their long parched tongues hanging out of their
mouths, and their bounding, though powerful, was no longer so elastic as
usual. The deer, having now arrived within two hundred yards of the
bear, stopped a moment to sniff the air; then coming still nearer, he
made a bound, with his head extended, to ascertain if Bruin was still
near him. As the puma was closing with him, the deer wheeled sharp
round, and turning back almost upon his own trail, passed within thirty
yards of his pursuer, who, not being able at once to stop his career,
gave an angry growl and followed the deer again, but at a distance of
some hundred yards; hearing the growl, Bruin drew his body half out of
the briars, remaining quietly on the lookout.
"Gone," I exclaimed.
"Wait a bit," answered Boone; "here he comes again."
He was right; the deer again appeared, coming towards us, but his speed
was much reduced, and as he approached us, it was evident that the
animal was calculating his distance with admirable precision. The puma,
now expecting to seize his prey, followed about thirty yards behind; the
bear, aware of the close vicinity of her enemy, cleared the briars and
squared herself for action, when the deer, with a beautiful and powerful
spring, passed the bear's head and disappeared. At the moment he took
the leap, the puma was close upon him, and was just balancing himself
for a spring, when he perceived, to his astonishment, that now he was
faced by a formidable adversary, not the least disposed to fly. He
crouched, lashing his flanks with his long tail, while the bear, about
five yards from him, remained like a statue looking at the puma with his
little glaring eyes.
One minute they remained thus; the puma, its sides heaving with
exertion, agitated, and apparently undecided; the bear, perfectly calm
and motionless. Gradually the puma crawled backwards, till at a right
distance for a spring, when, throwing all its weight upon its hind
parts, to increase its power, it darted upon the bear like lightning,
and fixed its claws into her back. The bear, with irresistible force,
seized the puma with her two fore-paws, pressing it with all the weight
of her body and rolling over it. We heard a heavy grunt, a plaintive
howl, a crashing of bones, and the puma was dead. The cub of the bear
came to ascertain what was going on, and after a few minutes'
examination of the victim, it strutted down the slope of the bill,
followed by its mother, which was apparently unhurt. We did not attempt
to prevent their retreat, for among real hunters in the wilds, there is
a feeling which restrains them from attacking an animal which has just
undergone a deadly strife. This is a very common practice of the deer,
when chased by a puma--that of leading him to the haunt of a bear; I
have often witnessed it, although I never before knew the deer to turn,
as it did in this instance.
This incident reminds me of another, which was witnessed by Gabriel, a
short time before the murder of the Prince Seravalle. Gabriel had left
his companions, to look after game, and he soon came upon the track of a
wild boar, which led to a grove of tall persimmon trees; then, for the
first time, he perceived that he had left his pouch and powder-horn in
the camp; but he cared little about it, as he knew that his aim was
certain. When within sixty yards of the grove, he spied the boar at the
foot of one of the outside trees: the animal was eating the fruit which
had fallen. Gabriel raised his eyes to the thick-leaved branches of the
tree, and perceived that there was a large black bear in the tree, also
regaling himself with the fruit. Gabriel approached to within thirty
yards, and was quite absorbed with the novelty of the sight.
At every motion of Bruin, hundreds of persimmons would fall down, and
these, of course, were the ripest. This the bear knew very well, and it
was with no small jealousy that he witnessed the boar below making so
luxurious a meal at his expense, while he could only pick the green
fruit, and that with difficulty, as he dared not trust his body too far
upon the smaller limbs of the tree. Now and then he would growl
fiercely, and put his head down, and the boar would look at him with a
pleased and grateful motion of the head, answering the growl by a grunt,
just as to say, "Thank you; very polite to eat the green ones and send
me the others." This Bruin understood, and he could bear it no longer;
he began to shake the tree violently, till the red persimmons fell like
a shower around the boar; then there was a duet of growls and grunts--
angry and terrific from the bear above, denoting satisfaction and
pleasure on the part of the boar below.
Gabriel had come in pursuit of the boar, but now he changed his mind,
for, considering the present angry mood of Bruin, he was certain to be
attacked by him if discovered. As to going away, it was a thing he
would not think of, as long as his rifle was loaded; so he waited and
watched, until the bear should give him an opportunity of aiming at a
vital part. This he waited for in vain, and, on reflection, he
determined to wound the bear; for, knowing the humour of the animal, he
felt almost positive it would produce a conflict between him and the
boar, which the bear would attack in his wrath. He fired: the bear was
evidently wounded, although but slightly, and he began roaring and
scratching his neck in a most furious manner, and looking vindictively
at the boar, which, at the report of the rifle, had merely raised his
head for a moment, and then resumed his meal. Bruin was certainly
persuaded that the wound he had received had been inflicted by the beast
below. He made up his mind to punish him, and, to spare the trouble and
time of descending, dropped from the tree, and rushed upon the boar,
which met him at once, and, notwithstanding Bruin's great strength, he
proved to him that a ten years old wild boar, with seven-inch tusks, was
a very formidable antagonist. Bruin soon felt the tusks of the boar
ripping him up; ten or twelve streams of blood were rushing from his
sides, yet he did not give way; on the contrary, he grew fiercer and
fiercer, and at last the boar was almost smothered under the huge paws
of his adversary. The struggle lasted a few minutes more, the grunting
and growling becoming fainter and fainter, till both combatants lay
motionless. They were dead when Gabriel came up to them; the bear
horribly mangled, and the boar with every bone of his body broken.
Gabriel filled his hat with the persimmons which were the cause of this
tragedy, and returned to the camp for help and ammunition.
Finn, Boone, and I resumed our journey, and after a smart ride of two
hours we entered upon a beautiful spot, called "Magnet Cove." This is
one of the great curiosities of the Arkansas, and there are few planters
who do not visit it at least once in their lives, even if they have to
travel a distance of one hundred miles.
It is a small valley surrounded by rocky hills, one or two hundred feet
high, and forming a belt, in the shape of a horseshoe. From these rocks
flow hundreds of sulphuric springs, some boiling and some cold, all
pouring into large basins, which their waters have dug out during their
constant flow of so many centuries. These mineral springs are so very
numerous in this part of the country, that they would scarcely be worth
mentioning, were it not that in this valley, for more than a mile in
circumference, the stones and rocks, which are of a dull black colour
and very heavy, are all magnetic.
It is a custom for every visitor to bring with him some pieces of iron,
to throw against the rocks: the appearance is very strange, old
horse-shoes, forks, knives, bars of iron, nails, and barrels of pistols,
are hanging from the projecting stones, the nails standing upright, as
if they were growing. These pieces of iron have themselves become very
powerfully magnetic. I picked up a horse-shoe, which I afterwards found
lifted a bar of steel of two pounds weight.
Half a mile from this singular spot dwelt another old pioneer, a friend
of my companions, and at his cabin we stopped to pass the night. Our
host was only remarkable for his great hospitality and greater
taciturnity; he had always lived in the wilds, quite alone, and the only
few words he would utter were incoherent. It appeared as if his mind
was fixed upon scenes of the past. In his early life he had been one of
the companions of the celebrated pirate La Fitte, and after the defence
of New Orleans, in which the pirates played no inconsiderable part (they
had the management of the artillery), he accepted the free pardon of the
President, and forcing his way through the forests and swamps of
Louisiana, was never heard of for five or six years. Subsequently,
circumstances brought about an intimacy between him and my two
companions, but, contrary to the habits of pioneers and trappers, he
never reverted to his former adventures, but always evaded the subject.
There were mysterious rumours afloat about treasure which had been
buried by the pirates in Texas, known only to him; a thing not
improbable, as the creeks, lagoons, and bays of that country had always
been a favourite resort of these freebooters; but nothing had ever been
extracted from him relative to the question. He was now living with an
Indian woman of the Flat-head tribe, by whom he had several children,
and this was also a subject upon which the western farmers had much to
say.
Had the squaw been a Creek, a Cherokee, or an Osage woman, it would have
created no surprise; but how came he in possession of a woman belonging
to so distant a tribe? Moreover, the squaw looked so proud, so
imperious, so queenly; there was a mystery, which every one was anxious,
but unable to solve.
We left our host early in the morning, and arrived at noon at the hot
springs, where I was to part company with my entertaining companions.
I was, however, persuaded to remain till the next morning, as Finn
wished to give me a letter for a friend of his in South Missouri. Of
the hot springs of the Arkansas, I can give no better description, than
by quoting the following lines from a Little Rock newspaper:--
"The warm springs are among the most interesting curiosities of our
country: they are in great numbers. One of them, the central one, emits
a vast quantity of water; the ordinary temperature is that of boiling
water. When the season is dry, and the volume of water somewhat
diminished, the temperature of the water increases.
"The waters are remarkably limpid and pure, and are used by the people
who resort there for health, for culinary purposes. They have been
analysed, and exhibit no mineral properties beyond common spring water.
Their efficacy, then, for they are undoubtedly efficacious to many
invalids that resort there, results from the shades of the adjacent
mountains, and from the cool and oxygenated mountain breeze; the
convenience of warm and tepid bathing; the novelty of fresh and mountain
scenery, and the necessity of temperance, imposed by the poverty of the
country and the difficulty of procuring supplies. The cases in which
the waters are supposed to be efficacious, are those of rheumatic
affection, general debility, dyspepsia, and cutaneous complaints. At a
few yards from the hot springs is one strongly sulphuric and remarkable
for its coldness. In the wild and mountain scenery of this lonely
region, there is much of grandeur and novelty to fix the curiosity of
the lover of nature."
The next morning I bade farewell to Finn and Boone, and set off on my
journey. I could not help feeling a strange sensation of loneliness, as
I passed hill after hill, and wood after wood. It seemed to me as if
something was wrong; I talked to myself, and often looked behind to see
if any one was coming my way. This feeling, however, did not last long,
and I soon learned that, west of the Mississippi, a man with a purse and
a good horse must never travel in the company of strangers, without he
is desirous to lose them and his life to boot.
I rode without stopping the forty-five miles of dreary road which leads
from the hot springs to Little Rock, and I arrived in that capital early
at noon.
Foreigners are constantly visiting every part of the United States, and
yet very few, if any, have ever visited the Arkansas. They seem all to
be frightened away by the numerous stories of Arkansas murders, with
which a tourist is always certain to be entertained on board one of the
Mississippi steam-boats. Undoubtedly these reports of murders and
atrocities have been, as all things else are in the United States, much
exaggerated, but none can deny that the assizes of Arkansas contain more
cases of stabbing and shooting than ten of the other states put
together.
The very day I arrived at Little Rock I had an opportunity of witnessing
two or three of these Arkansas incidents, and also to hear the comments
made upon them. Legislature was then sitting. Two of the legislators
happened to be of a contrary opinion, and soon abused each other. From
words they came to blows, and one shot the other with one of Colt's
revolving six-barrel pistols. This event stopped legislative business
for that day; the corpse was carried to the tavern where I had just
arrived, and the murderer, having procured bail for two thousand
dollars, ran away during the night, and nobody ever thought of searching
for him.
The corpse proved to be a bonus for my landlord, who had it deposited in
a room next to the bar, and as the news spread, all the male population
of Little Rock came in crowds to see with their own eyes, and to give
their own opinion of the case over a bottle of wine or a glass of
whisky.
Being tired, I went to bed early, and was just dozing, in spite of the
loud talking and swearing below, when I heard five or six shots fired in
rapid succession, and followed by yells and screams. I got up and
stopped a negro girl, as she was running up-stairs, a picture of terror
and despair.
"What is the matter, Blackey?" said I, "are they shooting in the bar?"
"Oh, yes, Massa," she answered, "they shoot terrible. Dr Francis says,
Dr Grey is a blackguard; Dr Grey says, Dr Francis is a ruffian; Dr
Francis shoots with big pistols and kills Dr Grey; Dr Grey shoots with
other pistols and kills Dr Francis."
"What," I exclaimed, "after he was dead?"
"Oh no, Massa, before he was dead; they shoot together--pan, pan, pan."
I went down-stairs to ascertain the circumstances attending this double
murder. A coroner's inquest had been held upon the body of the
legislator killed in the morning, and the two surgeons, who had both
drunk freely at the bar, had quarrelled about the direction which the
ball had taken. As they did not agree, they came to words; from words
to blows; ending in the grand finale of shooting each other.
I was so sickened and disgusted with the events of one day, that I paid
my bill, saddled my horse myself, and got a man to ferry me over the
Arkansas river, a noble, broad, and rapid stream, on the southern bank
of which the capital is situated. I rode briskly for a short hour, and
camped in the woods alone, preferring their silence and dreariness to
remaining to witness, under a roof, further scenes of bloodshed and
murder.
North of the Arkansas river, the population, though rough and "not
better than it should be," is less sanguinary and much more hospitable;
that is to say, a landlord will shew you civility for your money, and in
Batesville, a city (fifty houses, I think) upon the northern bank of the
White River, I found thirty generals, judges, and majors, who
condescended to shew me every bar in the place, purchasing sundry dozens
of Havannahs and drinking sundry long toasts in iced wine, which wine
and tobacco, although ordered and consumed by themselves, they left me
to pay for; which I was willing to do, as I was informed that these
gentlemen always refrain from paying any thing when a stranger is
present, from fear of wounding his delicacy.
It was in Batesville that I became enlightened as to the western paper
currency, which was fortunate, as I purchased one hundred and forty
dollars in "shin plasters," as they call them, for an English sovereign;
and for my travelling expenses they answered just as well. In the White
River ferry-boat, I met with one of those itinerant Italian pedlars, who
are found, I think, everywhere under heaven, selling pins, needles, and
badly-coloured engravings, representing all the various passages of
William Tell's history, and the combats during the "three days," in
1830. Although not a refined companion, the Genevese spoke Italian, and
I was delighted to converse in that soft tongue, not a word of which I
had spoken since the death of Prince Seravalle. I invited my companion
to the principal tavern, and called at the bar for two tumblers of
iced-mint tulip.
"How much?" I asked from the bar-keeper.
"Five dollars," he answered.
I was quite thunderstruck, and, putting my money back in my pocket, I
told him I would not pay him at all. The man then began to swear I was
a queer sort of a chap, and wondered how a _gentleman_ could drink at a
bar and not pay for his liquor.
"I always pay," I answered, "what others pay; but I will not submit to
such a swindling, and give five dollars for what is only worth
twenty-five cents."
The host then came to me, with a smile.
"Why, Sir, we don't charge more to you than to others. Five dollars in
`shin-plasters,' or twenty-five cents in specie."
All was thus explained, and the next morning I satisfied my bill of
twenty-two dollars, with one dollar and twelve cents in silver.
This may appear strange to the English reader, who prefers bank-notes to
gold; but he must reflect that England is not Arkansas, and that the
Bank of England is not the "Real Estate Bank of Arkansas," capital two
millions of dollars.
Notwithstanding the grandeur of the last five words, I have been
positively informed that the bank never possessed five dollars, and had
not been able to pay the poor Cincinnati engraver who made the notes.
The merchants of Little Rock, who had set up the bank, were the usual
purchasers of the produce from the farmer; but the credit of the bank
was so bad, that they were obliged to offer three dollars in their notes
for a bushel of wheat, which, in New York, commanded only eighty-four
cents in specie.
The farmers, however, were as sharp as the merchants, and, compelled to
deal with them, they hit upon a good plan. The principal landholders of
every county assembled, and agreed that they would also have a farmer's
bank, and a few months afterwards the country was inundated with notes
of six-and-a-quarter, twelve-and-a-half, twenty-five, and fifty cents,
with the following inscription: "We, the freeholders and farmers of such
county, promise to pay (so much) in Real Estate Bank of Arkansas notes,
but not under the sum of five dollars."
The bankers were caught in their own snares. They were obliged to
accept the "shin plasters" for the goods in their stores, with the
pleasing perspective of being paid back with their own notes, which made
their faces as doleful as the apothecary who was obliged to swallow his
own pills.