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With Axe and Rifle

William Henry Giles Kingston · British_Literature · 9 章

目录

Captain Loraine’s farm in the Far West—Hot-headed young men—Our family—Uncle Denis taken sick—We set out to visit him—The corduroy road—A wayside hotel—Rough company—Appearance of the country—Crossing the ford at Green River—Nearly lost—A brave Negro—Gratitude of my parents—At Mr Silas Bracher’s plantation—Diogenes—Mammy Coe—The slave-owner—My father endeavours to purchase the Negro—Slavery—Unexpected recovery of Dr O’Dowd’s patient—A sportsman’s ambition—Trapping—A rich prize—Something about turkeys—The wonderful Cave of Kentucky—Our return to Illinois.Arrival of the waggon—Why Dio ran away—How to act for the best—Abolition of slavery—What Biddy O’Toole meant to do—Kathleen and Dio—Biddy’s interview with the strangers—Dio’s pursuers—A fortunate arrival—Teaching the black to read—Good words—An interrupted lesson—The alarm—Man-hunters—Every man’s house his castle—Watching the strangers—An agreeable surprise—Mr McDermont—My mother’s apprehensions of danger—Our garrison increased.The attack on Uphill—My father’s warning—The beginning of the fight—Our victory—A cowardly revenge—Mr Tidey acts as scout—Mr McDermont renews his proposal to purchase our farm—We resolve to go West—Uncle Denis decides to join us—An expedition to Dio’s relief—We discover the cave—We find Dio—His delight at the prospect of returning—Too weak for the journey—Our arrival home—Preparations for departure—Uncle Denis with us again—The march commenced—Cross the Illinois river—On the prairies of Missouri—“Westward Ho!”—Possibilities of danger—The proper place to camp—The way to bivouac—The rear-guard.Across the plains—The march of civilisation—A halt—The trail discovered—On the war-path—An obstacle—Arrival at the river—Examining the camping-ground—An inaccessible point—Erecting fortifications—The way trees are felled in Kentucky—Strengthening our position—Mr Tidey puts us on the alert—Red-skin daring—Round the camp-fire—Evident anxiety of my father and the Dominie—Our strong point—Setting the watch—Driving in the cattle—The lull before the storm.Ready for the foe—Dio’s master-stroke—The battle—Defeat of the redskins—Watching through the night—A reconnoitring party—A perilous duty—The coast clear—Exploring the woods—The rustling in the leaves—An American lion—Fight between a puma and boar—Fresh provisions—No enemy near—Tim Casey’s redskins—The start—Seeking a ford—Crossing discovered by Dio—A cavalry engagement—Death of an Indian chief—A strange colony—Prairie dogs—Scarcity of water—Sufferings of the party—Set out to procure relief—Make for Fort Hamilton—Horses bitten by rattle-snake—A welcome sign—Friends or foes—The sergeant of the guard—The challenge after the shot—The fort reached—Our reception—The doctor’s treatment of my horse—A visit to the fortifications.A timely warning—The pursuit—Indian horsemen—The cavalry engagement—A sharp skirmish—Dio saves my father’s life—Preparations for continuing our journey—I encounter the solitary hunter—Useful information—Rejoin the train—First sight of the mountains—The “grosse corne”—Looking out for a pass—Mouth of the cañon discovered—A gloomy passage—Overtaken by darkness in the gorge—First glimpse of “Smiling Valley”—Selection of the site of our future home—Bringing the waggons over the mountains.Our homestead—My sister and Lily lost—Anxiety of the black nurse—We set off to try and find them—Following up the trail—Tracks found—Dio pushes ahead—On the shores of the lake—Appearance of a canoe—We determine to take the occupants prisoners—The capture—Rose acting as guard—The white man secured—I recognise an old acquaintance—The way we treated him—Searching along the lake shore, we come upon an encampment—Overhear the conversation—Our presence discovered—Effects of the war-whoop—Flight of the party with Dio—The midnight pursuit—An unlooked-for reinforcement—Release of the black—Our prisoners—Lynch law—A villainous plot revealed—We arrive at Smiling Valley farm.My mother is taken dangerously ill—Dio and I set off to Fort Hamilton—Boxer disobedient—End of our first day’s journey—An agreeable addition to our supper—Cat-fish—My dog on the watch—A midnight interruption—Overtaken by the snow—A trying day’s march—We are at length able to camp—Strong inclination to sleep—Boxer keeps watch—The red-skins near—Our horses and rifles stolen—We suffer from hunger—We continue our way on foot—Sleep in a hollow tree—Pursued by wolves—We kill one of the pack—Saved by our dog and a buffalo carcase—Worn out—Camp.THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE