Produced by Curtis Weyant, the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
and The Making of America Project
[Illustration]
WILD WESTERN SCENES:
A NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURES IN THE WESTERN WILDERNESS,
WHEREIN
THE EXPLOITS OF DANIEL BOONE, THE GREAT AMERICAN PIONEER ARE
PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED
ALSO,
ACCOUNTS OF BEAR, DEER, AND BUFFALO HUNTS—DESPERATE CONFLICTS WITH THE
SAVAGES—WOLF HUNTS—FISHING AND FOWLING ADVENTURES—ENCOUNTERS WITH
SERPENTS, ETC.
New Stereotype Edition, Altered, Revised, and Corrected
By
J.B. JONES.
Author of "The War Path," "Adventures of a Country Merchant," etc.
Illustrated with Sixteen Engravings from Original Designs
Philadelphia:
J.B. Lippincott & Co.
1875
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by J.B. Jones,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Stereotyped By L. Johnson & Co.,
Philadelphia.
PREFACE.
When a work of fiction has reached its fortieth edition, one would
suppose the author might congratulate himself upon having contributed
something of an imperishable character to the literature of the
country. But no such pretensions are asserted for this production, now
in its fortieth thousand. Being the first essay of an impetuous youth
in a field where giants even have not always successfully contended, it
would be a rash assumption to suppose it could receive from those who
confer such honors any high award of merit. It has been before the
public some fifteen years, and has never been reviewed. Perhaps the
forbearance of those who wield the cerebral scalpels may not be further
prolonged, and the book remains amenable to the judgment they may be
pleased to pronounce.
To that portion of the public who have read with approbation so many
thousands of his book, the author may speak with greater confidence. To
this class of his friends he may make disclosures and confessions
pertaining to the secret history of the “Wild Western Scenes,” without
the hazard of incurring their displeasure.
Like the hero of his book, the author had his vicissitudes in boyhood,
and committed such indiscretions as were incident to one of his years
and circumstances, but nevertheless only such as might be readily
pardoned by the charitable. Like Glenn, he submitted to a voluntary
exile in the wilds of Missouri. Hence the description of scenery is a
true picture, and several characters in the scenes were real persons.
Many of the occurrences actually transpired in his presence, or had
been enacted in the vicinity at no remote period; and the dream of the
hero—his visit to the haunted island—was truly a dream of the author’s.
But the worst miseries of the author were felt when his work was
completed; he could get no publisher to examine it. He then purchased
an interest in a weekly newspaper, in the columns of which it appeared
in consecutive chapters. The subscribers were pleased with it, and
desired to possess it in a volume; but still no publisher would
undertake it,—the author had no reputation in the literary world. He
offered it for fifty dollars, but could find no purchaser at any price.
Believing the British booksellers more accommodating, a friend was
employed to make a fair copy in manuscript, at a certain number of
cents per hundred words. The work was sent to a British publisher, with
whom it remained many months, but was returned, accompanied by a note
declining to treat for it.
Undeterred by the rebuffs of two worlds, the author had his cherished
production published on his own account, and was remunerated by the
sale of the whole edition. After the tardy sale of several subsequent
editions by houses of limited influence, the book had the good fortune,
finally, to fall into the hands of the gigantic establishment whose
imprint is now upon its title-page. And now, the author is informed, it
is regularly and liberally ordered by the London booksellers, and is
sold with an increasing rapidity in almost every section of the Union.
Such are the hazards, the miseries, and sometimes the rewards, of
authorship.
J.B.J.
Burlington, N.J., _March_, 1856.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Glenn and Joe—Their horses—A storm—A black stump—A rough
tumble—Moaning—Stars—Light—A log fire—Tents, and something to
eat—Another stranger, who turns out to be well known—Joe has a snack—He
studies revenge against the black stump—Boone proposes a bear hunt.
CHAPTER II.
Boone hunts the bear—Hounds and terriers—Sneak Punk, the
hatchet-face—Another stump—The high passes—The bear roused—The chase—A
sight—A shot—A wound—Not yet killed—His meditations—His friend, the
bear—The bear retreats—Joe takes courage—Joe fires—Immense
execution—Sneak—The last struggle—Desperation of the bear—His
death—Sneak’s puppies—Joe.
CHAPTER III.
Glenn’s castle—Mary—Books—A hunt—Joe and Pete—A tumble—An opossum—A
shot—Another tumble—A doe—The return—They set out again—A mound—A
buffalo—An encounter—Night—Terrific
spectacle—Escape—Boone—Sneak—Indians.
CHAPTER IV.
The retreat—Joe makes a mysterious discovery—Mary—A
disclosure—Supper—Sleep—A cat—Joe’s flint—The watch—Mary—The bush—The
attack—Joe’s musket again—The repulse—The starting rally—The desperate
alternative—Relief.
CHAPTER V.
A strange excursion—A fairy scene—Joe is puzzled and frightened—A
wonderful discovery—Navigation of the upper regions—A crash—No bones
broken.
CHAPTER VI.
A hunt—A deer taken—The hounds—Joe makes a horrid discovery—Sneak—The
exhumation.
CHAPTER VII.
Boone—The interment—Startling intelligence—Indians about—A
skunk—Thrilling fears—Boone’s device.
CHAPTER VIII.
Night—Sagacity of the hounds—Reflection—The sneaking savages—Joe’s
disaster—The approach of the foe under the snow—The silent watch.
CHAPTER IX.
Sneak kills a sow that “was not all a swine”—The breathless
suspense—The match in readiness—Joe’s cool demeanour—The match
ignited—Explosion of the mine—Defeat of the savages—The captive—His
liberation—The repose—The kitten—Morning.
CHAPTER X.
The dead removed—The wolves on the river—The wolf hunt—Gum fetid—Joe’s
incredulity—His conviction—His surprise—His predicament—His narrow
escape.
CHAPTER XI.
Mary—Her meditations—Her capture—Her sad condition—Her mental
sufferings—Her escape—Her recapture.
CHAPTER XII.
Joe’s indisposition—His cure—Sneak’s reformation—The pursuit—The
captive Indian—Approach to the encampment of the savages—Joe’s illness
again—The surprise—The terrific encounter—Rescue of Mary—Capture of the
young chief—The return.
CHAPTER XIII.
The return—The young chief in confinement—Joe’s fun—His reward—The
ring—A discovery—William’s recognition—Memories of childhood—A
scene—Roughgrove’s history—The children’s parentage.
CHAPTER XIV.
William’s illness—Sneak’s strange house—Joe’s courage—The bee hunt—Joe
and sneak captured by the Indians—Their sad condition—Preparations to
burn them alive—Their miraculous escape.
CHAPTER XV.
Glenn’s History.
CHAPTER XVI.
Balmy Spring—Joe’s curious dream—He prepares to catch a
fish—Glenn—William and Mary—Joe’s sudden and strange
appearance—La-u-na, the trembling fawn—The fishing sport—The ducking
frolic—Sneak and the panther.
CHAPTER XVII.
The bright morning—Sneak’s visit—Glenn’s heart—The snake hunt—Love and
raspberries—Joe is bitten—His terror and sufferings—Arrival of
Boone—Joe’s abrupt recovery—Preparations to leave the West—Conclusion.
WILD WESTERN SCENES: A NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURES.
CHAPTER I.
Glenn and Joe—Their horses—A storm—A black stump—A rough
tumble—Moaning—Stars—Light—A log fire—Tents, and something to
eat—Another stranger, who turns out to be well known—Joe has a snack—He
studies revenge against the black stump—Boone proposes a bear hunt.
“Do you see any light yet, Joe?”
“Not the least speck that ever was created, except the lightning, and
it’s gone before I can turn my head to look at it.”
The interrogator, Charles Glenn, reclined musingly in a two-horse
wagon, the canvas covering of which served in some measure to protect
him from the wind and rain. His servant, Joe Beck, was perched upon one
of the horses, his shoulders screwed under the scanty folds of an
oil-cloth cape, and his knees drawn nearly up to the pommel of the
saddle, to avoid the thumping bushes and briers that occasionally
assailed him, as the team plunged along in a stumbling pace. Their
pathway, or rather their direction, for there was no beaten road, lay
along the northern bank of the “Mad Missouri,” some two hundred miles
above the St. Louis settlement. It was at a time when there were no
white men in those regions save a few trappers, traders, and emigrants,
and each new sojourner found it convenient to carry with him a means of
shelter, as houses of any description were but few and far between.
Our travellers had been told in the morning, when setting out from a
temporary village which consisted of a few families of emigrants, with
whom they had sojourned the preceding night, that they could attain the
desired point by making the river their guide, should they be at a loss
to distinguish the faintly-marked pathway that led in a more direct
course to the place of destination. The storm coming up suddenly from
the north, and showers of hail accompanying the gusts, caused the poor
driver to incline his face to the left, to avoid the peltings that
assailed him so frequently; and the drenched horses, similarly
influenced, had unconsciously departed far from the right line of
march; and now, rather than turn his front again to the pitiless blast,
which could be the only means of regaining the road, Joe preferred
diverging still farther, until he should find himself on the margin of
the river, by which time he hoped the storm would abate. At all events,
he thought there would be more safety on the beach, which extended out
a hundred paces from the water, among the small switches of cotton-wood
that grew thereon, than in the midst of the tall trees of the forest,
where a heavy branch was every now and then torn off by the wind, and
thrown to the earth with a terrible crash. Occasionally a deafening
explosion of thunder would burst overhead; and Joe, prostrating himself
on the neck of his horse, would, with his eyes closed and his teeth
set, bear it out in silence. He spoke not, save to give an occasional
word of command to his team, or a brief reply to a question from his
master.
It was an odd spectacle to see such a vehicle trudging along at such an
hour, where no carriage had ever passed before. The two young men were
odd characters; the horses were oddly matched, one being a little dumpy
black pony, and the other a noble white steed; and it was an odd whim
which induced Glenn to abandon his comfortable home in Philadelphia,
and traverse such inclement wilds. But love can play the “_wild_” with
any young man. Yet we will not spoil our narrative by introducing any
of it here. Nor could it have been love that induced Joe to share his
master’s freaks; but rather a rare penchant for the miraculous
adventures to be enjoyed in the western wilderness, and the gold which
his master often showered upon him with a reckless hand. Joe’s
forefathers were from the Isle of Erin, and although he had lost the
brogue, he still retained some of their superstitions.
The wind continued to blow, the wolves howled, the lightning flashed,
and the thunder rolled. Ere long the little black pony snorted aloud
and paused abruptly.
“What ails you, Pete?” said Joe from his lofty position on the steed,
addressing his favourite little pet. “Get along,” he continued,
striking the animal gently with his whip. But Pete was as immovable and
unconscious of the lash as would have been a stone. And the steed
seemed likewise to be infected with the pony’s stubbornness, after the
wagon was brought to a pause.
“Why have you stopped, Joe?” inquired Glen.
“I don’t hardly know, sir; but the stupid horses won’t budge an inch
farther!”
“Very well; we can remain here till morning. Take the harness off, and
give them the corn in the box; we can sleep in the wagon till
daylight.”
“But we have no food for ourselves, sir; and I’m vastly hungry. It
can’t be much farther to the ferry,” continued Joe, vexed at the
conduct of the horses.
“Very well; do as you like; drive on, if you desire to do so,” said
Glenn.
“Get along, you stupid creatures!” cried Joe, applying the lash with
some violence. But the horses regarded him no more than blocks would
have done. Immediately in front he perceived a dark object that
resembled a stump and turning the horses slightly to one side,
endeavoured to urge them past it. Still they would not go, but
continued to regard the object mentioned with dread, which was
manifested by sundry restless pawings and unaccustomed snorts. Joe
resolved to ascertain the cause of their alarm, and springing to the
ground, moved cautiously in the direction of the dark obstruction,
which still seemed to be a blackened stump, about his own height, and a
very trifling obstacle, in his opinion, to arrest the progress of his
redoubtable team. The darkness was intense, yet he managed to keep his
eyes on the dim outlines of the object as he stealthily approached And
he stepped as noiselessly as possible, notwithstanding he meditated an
encounter with nothing more than an inanimate object. But his
imagination was always on the alert, and as he often feared dangers
that arose undefinable and indescribable in his mind, it was not
without some trepidation that he had separated himself from the horses
and groped his way toward the object that had so much terrified his
pony. He paused within a few feet of the object, and waited for the
next flash of lightning to scrutinize the thing more closely before
putting his hand upon it. But no flash came, and he grew tired of
standing. He stooped down, so as to bring the upper portion of it in a
line with the sky beyond, but still he could not make it out. He
ventured still nearer, and stared at it long and steadily, but to no
avail: the black mass only was before him, seemingly inanimate, and of
a deeper hue than the darkness around.
[Illustration: A dark encounter.]
“I’ve a notion to try my whip on you,” said he, thinking if it should
be a human being it would doubtless make a movement. He started back
with a momentary conviction that he heard a rush creak under its feet.
But as it still maintained its position, he soon concluded the noise to
have been only imaginary, and venturing quite close gave it a smart
blow with his whip. Instantaneously poor Joe was rolling on the earth,
almost insensible, and the dark object disappeared rushing through the
bushes into the woods. The noise attracted Glenn, who now approached
the scene, and with no little surprise found his servant lying on his
face.
“What’s the matter, Joe?” demanded he.
“Oh, St. Peter! O preserve me!” exclaimed Joe.
“What has happened? Why do you lie there?”
“Oh, I’m almost killed! Didn’t you see him?”
“See what? I can see nothing this dark night but the flying clouds and
yonder yellow sheet of water.”
“Oh, I’ve been struck!” said Joe, groaning piteously.
“Struck by what? Has the lightning struck you?”
“No—no! my head is all smashed up—it was a bear.”
“Pshaw! get up, and either drive on, or feed the horses,” said Glenn
with some impatience.
“I call all the saints to witness that it was a wild bear—a great wild
bear! I thought it was a stump, but just as I struck it a flash of
lightning revealed to my eyes a big black bear standing on his hind
feet, grinning at me, and he gave me a blow on the side of the face,
which has entirely blinded my left eye, and set my ears to ringing like
a thousand bells. Just feel the blood on my face.”
Glenn actually felt something which might be blood, and really had
thought he could distinguish the stump himself when the wagon halted;
yet he did not believe that Joe had received the hurt in any other
manner than by striking his face against some hard substance which he
could not avoid in the darkness.
“You only fancy it was a bear, Joe; so come along back to the horses
and drive on. The rain has ceased, and the stars are appearing.” Saying
this, Glenn led the way to the wagon.
“I’d be willing to swear on the altar that it was a huge bear, and
nothing else!” replied Joe, as he mounted and drove on, the horses now
evincing no reluctance to proceed. One after another the stars came out
and shone in purest brightness as the mists swept away, and ere long
the whole canopy of blue was gemmed with twinkling brilliants. The
winds soon lulled, and the dense forest on the right reposed from the
moaning gale which had disturbed it a short time before; and the waves
that had been tossed into foaming ridges now spent their fury on the
beach, each lashing the bank more gently than the last, until the power
of the gliding current swept them all down the turbid stream. Soon the
space between the water and the forest gradually diminished, and seemed
to join at a point not far ahead. Joe observed this with some concern,
being aware that to meander among the trees at such an hour was
impossible. He therefore inclined toward the river, resolved to defer
his re-entrance into the forest as long as possible. As he drove on he
kept up a continual groaning, with his head hung to one side, as if
suffering with the toothache, and occasionally reproaching Pete with
some petulance, as if a portion of the blame attached to his sagacious
pony.
“Why do you keep up such a howling, Joe? Do you really suffer much
pain?” inquired Glenn, annoyed by his man’s lamentations.
“It don’t hurt as bad as it did—but then to think that I was such a
fool as to go right into the beast’s clutches, when even Pete had more
sense!”
“If it was actually a bear, Joe, you can boast of the thrilling
encounter hereafter,” said Glenn, in a joking and partly consoling
manner.
“But if I have many more such, I fear I shall never get back to relate
them. My face is all swelled—Huzza! yonder is a light, at last! It’s on
this side of the river, and if we can’t get over the ferry to-night, we
shall have something to eat on this side, at all events. Ha! ha! ha! I
see a living man moving before the fire, as if he were roasting meat.”
Joe forgot his wound in the joy of an anticipated supper, and whipping
the horses into a brisk pace, they soon drew near the encampment, where
they discovered numerous persons, male and female, who had been
prevented from crossing the river that day, in consequence of the
violence of the storm, and had raised their tents at the edge of the
woods, preferring to repose thus until the following morning than to
venture into the frail ferry-boat while the waves yet ran so high.
There was no habitation in the immediate vicinity, save a rude hovel
occupied by Jasper Roughgrove and his ferrymen, which was on the
opposite shore in a narrow valley that cleft asunder the otherwise
uniform cliff of rocks.
The creaking of the wheels, when the vehicle approached within a few
hundred paces of the encampment, attracted the watch-dogs, and their
fierce and continued barking drew the attention of the emigrants in the
direction indicated. Several men with guns in their hands came out to
meet the young travellers.
“We are white men, friends, strangers, lost, benighted, and hungry!”
exclaimed Joe, stopping the horses, and addressing the men before he
was accosted.
“Come on, then, and eat and rest with us,” said they, amused at Joe’s
exclamations, and leading the way to the encampment.
When they arrived at the edge of the camp, Glenn dismounted from the
wagon, and directing Joe to follow when he had taken care of the
horses, drew near the huge log fire in company with those who had gone
out to meet him. Several tall and spreading elms towered in majesty
above, and their clustering leaves, yet partially green,
notwithstanding the autumn was midway advanced, were beautifully tinged
by the bright light thrown upward from the glaring flames. The view on
one side was lost in the dark labyrinth of the moss-grown trunks of the
forest. On the other swept the turbid river, bearing downward in its
rapid current severed branches, and even whole trees, that had been
swept away by the continual falling in of the river bank, for the sandy
soil was always subject to the undermining of tho impetuous stream. A
circle of tents was formed round the fire, constructed of thin poles
bent in the shape of an arch, and the ends planted firmly in the earth.
These were covered with buffalo skins, which would effectually shield
the inmates from the rain; and quantities of leaves, after being
carefully dried before the fire, were placed on the ground within, over
which were spread buffalo robes with the hair uppermost, and thus in a
brief space was completed temporary but not uncomfortable places of
repose. The ends of the tents nearest to the fire were open, to admit
the heat and a portion of light, that those who desired it might retire
during their repast, or engage in pious meditation undisturbed by the
more clamorous portion of the company.
Glenn paused when within the circle, and looked with some degree of
interest on the admirable arrangement of those independent and hardy
people. A majority of the emigrants were seated on logs brought thither
for that purpose, and feasting quietly from several large pans and
well-filled camp-kettles, which were set out for all in common. They
motioned Glenn to partake with them; and although many curious looks
were directed toward him, yet he was not annoyed by questions while
eating. Joe came in, and following the example of the rest, played his
part to perfection, without complaining once of his wound.
The feast was just finished, when the dogs again set up a furious
yelping, and ran into the forest. But they returned very quickly, some
of them whining with the hurts received from the strangers they
encountered so roughly; and presently they were followed by several
enormous hounds, and soon after an athletic woodsman was seen
approaching. This personage was a tall muscular man, past the middle
age, but agile and vigorous in all his motions. He was habited in a
buck-skin hunting-shirt, and wore leggins of the same material.
Although he was armed with a long knife and heavy rifle, and the
expression of his brow and chin indicated an unusual degree of firmness
and determination, yet there was an openness and blandness in the
expression of his features which won the confidence of the beholder,
and instantly dispelled every apprehension of violence. All of the
emigrants had either seen or heard of him before, for his name was not
only repeated by every tongue in the territory, but was familiar in
every State in the Union, and not unknown in many parts of Europe. He
was instantly recognised by the emigrants, and crowding round, they
gave him a hearty welcome. They led him to a conspicuous seat, and
forming a circle about him, were eager to catch every word that might
escape his lips, and relied with implicit confidence on every species
of information he imparted respecting the dangers and advantages of the
locations they were about to visit. Boone had settled some three miles
distant from the ferry, among the hills, where his people were engaged
in the manufacture of salt. He had selected this place of abode long
before the general tide of emigration had reached so far up the
Missouri. It was said that he pitched his tent among the barren hills
as a security against the intrusion of other men, who, being swayed by
a love of wealth, would naturally seek their homes in the rich level
prairies. It is true that Boone loved to dwell in solitude. But he was
no misanthrope. And now, although questions were asked without number,
he answered them with cheerfulness; advised the families what would be
necessary to be done when their locations were selected, and even
pressingly invited them to remain in his settlement a few days to
recover from the fatigue of travel, and promised to accompany them
afterward over the river into the rich plains to which they were
journeying.
During the brisk conversation that had been kept up for a great length
of time, Glenn, unlike the rest of the company, sat at a distance and
maintained a strict silence. Occasionally, as some of the extraordinary
feats related of the person before him occurred to his memory, he
turned his eyes in the direction of the great pioneer, and at each time
observed the gaze of the woodsman fixed upon him. Nevertheless his
habitual listlessness was not disturbed, and he pursued his peculiar
train of reflections. Joe likewise treated the presence of the renowned
Indian fighter with apparent unconcern, and being alone in his glory,
dived the deeper into the saucepan.
Boone at length advanced to where Glenn was sitting, and after scanning
his pale features, and his costly though not exquisitely-fashioned
habiliments, thus addressed him:—
“Young man, may I inquire what brings thee to these wilds?”
“I am a freeman,” replied Glenn, somewhat haughtily, “and may be
influenced by that which brings other men hither.”
“Nay, young man, excuse the freedom which all expect to exercise in
this comparative wilderness; but I am very sure there is not another
emigrant on this side of the Ohio who has been actuated by the same
motives that brought thee hither. Others come to fell the forest oak,
and till the soil of the prairie, that they may prepare a heritage for
their children; but thy soft hands and slender limbs are unequal to the
task; nor dost thou seem to have felt the want of this world’s goods;
and thou bringest no family to provide for. Thou hast committed that
which banished thee from society, or found in society that which
disgusted thee—speak, which of these?” said Boone, in accents, though
not positively commanding, yet they produced a sense of reverence that
subdued the rising indignation of Glenn, and looking upon the
interrogator as the acknowledged host of the eternal wilds, and himself
as a mere guest, who might be required to produce his testimonials of
worthiness to associate with nature’s most honest of men, he replied
with calmness, though with subdued emotion—
“You are right, sir—it was the latter. I had heard that you were happy
in the solitude of the mountain-shaded valley, or on the interminable
prairies that greet the horizon in the distance, where neither the
derision of the proud, the malice of the envious, nor the deceptions of
pretended love and friendship, could disturb your peaceful meditations:
and from amid the wreck of certain hopes, which I once thought no
circumstances could destroy, I rose with a determined though saddened
heart, and solemnly vowed to seek such a wilderness, where I could pass
a certain number of my days engaging in the pursuits that might be most
congenial to my disposition. Already I imagine I experience the happy
effects of my resolution. Here the whispers of vituperating foes cannot
injure, nor the smiles of those fondly cherished deceive.”
“Your hand, young man,” said Boone, with an earnestness which convinced
Glenn that his tale was not imprudently divulged.
“Ho! what’s the matter with _you_?” Boone continued, turning to Joe,
who had just arisen from his supper, and was stretching back his
shoulders.
“I got a licking from a bear to-night—but I don’t mind it much since
I’ve had a snack. But if ever I come across him in the daytime, I’ll
show him a thing or two,” said Joe, with his fists doubled up.
“Pshaw! do you still entertain the ridiculous belief that it was really
a bear you encountered?” inquired Glenn, with an incredulous smile.
“I’ll swear to it!” replied Joe.
“Let me see your face,” remarked Boone, turning him to where there was
more light.
“Hollo! don’t squeeze it so hard!” cried Joe, as Boone removed some of
the coagulated blood that remained or the surface.
“There is no doubt about it—it was a bear, most certainly,” said Boone;
and examining the wound more closely, continued: “Here are the marks of
his claws, plain enough: he might easily be captured to-morrow. Who
will hunt him with me?”
“I will!” burst from the lips of nearly every one present.
“Huzza—revenge! I’ll have revenge, huzza!” cried Joe, throwing round
his hat.
“You will join us?” inquired Boone, turning to Glenn.
“Yes,” replied Glenn; “I came hither provided with the implements to
hunt; and as such is to be principally my occupation during my sojourn
in this region, I could not desire a more happy opportunity than the
present to make a beginning. And as it is my intention to settle near
the ferry on the opposite shore, I am pleased to find that I shall not
be far from one whose acquaintance I hoped to make, above all others.”
“And you may not find me reluctant to cultivate a social intercourse,
notwithstanding men think me a crabbed old misanthrope,” replied Boone,
pressing the extended hand of Glenn. They then separated for the night,
retiring to the tents that had been provided for them.
It was not long before a comparative silence pervaded the scene. The
fierce yelpings of the watch-dogs gradually ceased, and the howling
wolf was but indistinctly heard in the distance. The katydid and
whippoorwill still sang at intervals, and these sounds, as well as the
occasional whirlpool that could be heard rising on the surface of the
gliding stream, had a soothing influence, and lulled to slumber the
wandering mortals who now reclined under the forest trees, far from the
homes of their childhood and the graves of their kindred. Glenn gazed
from his couch through the branches above at the calm, blue sky,
resplendent with twinkling stars; and if a sad reflection, that he thus
lay, a lonely being, a thousand miles from those who had been most dear
to him, dimmed his eye for an instant with a tear, he still felt a
consciousness of innocence within, and resolving to execute his vow in
every particular, he too was soon steeped in undisturbed slumber.