Thrilling Adventures by Land and Sea - James O. Brayman
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It is needless to say that we were glad to see him--to meet one we had
never expected to encounter again in such excellent plight. Any one who
could have seen him sitting in that apartment of the Bishop's Palace,
his face swollen, and, with a gravity of countenance, which would have
been ludicrous, even to the causing of laughter, had it not been for his
own precarious situation, and the heart-rending scenes around, would
have been equally as much astonished and rejoiced, as we were, on again
so unexpectedly beholding him.
A correspondent of the "Inquirer" has sent us the following, which is
quite as remarkable as either of the foregoing:
Very extraordinary incidents have been published lately, of shot having
been caught in the mouths of soldiers, in the course of battle, in the
war of 1812, and in the Mexican war; but an incident, perhaps more
remarkable, for the coolness of the individual on the occasion, occurred
at the battle of Fort Drane, fought, in August, 1837, under the command
of the late Col. B.K. Pierce. This was one of the most signal and
desperate engagements of that bloody war. The Seminoles, under their
renowned chief, Osceola, had taken a very commanding position in an
extensive sugar field, near the stockade, strengthened on the east side
by a dense hammock. Three desperate onsets were made during the battle,
and the enemy were finally driven from the field to the protection of
the hammock. During the hottest of the battle, a soldier belonging to
the detachment under the command of Lieut. Pickell, whose position was a
little in advance of the two wings, of the name of Jackson, having just
fired, received a shot from a tall Indian, not twenty yards distant,
which broke through the outer parts of his pantaloons, and lodged in his
right-hand pocket. Feeling the slight sting of the half-spent ball, he
thrust his hand in his pocket, drew out the bullet, and dropped it into
the barrel of his musket, upon the charge of powder he had just before
put in; then, with the unerring aim of a true marksman, leveled his
piece, and, as quick as lightning, his adversary was measured upon the
ground. The wound was fatal--the warrior survived the shot but a
few minutes.
The above is one of the many incidents that occurred in the recent war
with the Florida Indians which, for peril and brave feats, on the part
of the American soldiers and officers, has scarcely ever been equaled.
The above incident is stated as it actually occurred.
A FAMILY ATTACKED BY INDIANS.
On the night of the eleventh of April, 1787, the house of a widow in
Bourbon county, Kentucky, became the scene of a deplorable adventure.
She occupied what was called a double cabin, in a lonely part of the
county. One room was tenanted by the old lady herself, together with two
grown sons, and a widowed daughter with an infant. The other room was
occupied by two unmarried daughters from sixteen to twenty years of age,
together with a little girl.
The hour was eleven o'clock at night, and the family had retired to
rest. Some symptoms of an alarming nature had engaged the attention of
the young man for an hour, before anything of a decided character took
place. At length hasty steps were heard in the yard, and quickly
afterward several loud knocks at the door, accompanied by the usual
exclamation, "Who keeps house?" in very good English.
The young man, supposing from the language that some benighted travelers
were at the door, hastily arose, and was advancing to withdraw the bar
that secured it, when his mother, who had long lived upon the frontier,
and had probably detected the Indian tone in the demand for admission,
instantly sprang out of bed, and ordered her son not to admit them,
declaring that they were Indians.
She instantly awakened her other son, and the young men seizing their
guns, which were always charged, prepared to repel the enemy. The
Indians finding it impossible to enter under their assumed characters,
began to thunder at the door with great violence, but a single shot from
a loop-hole obliged them to shift the attack to some less exposed point,
and, unfortunately, they discovered the door of the other cabin, which
contained the three daughters. The rifles of the brothers could not be
brought to bear on this point; and, by means of several rails taken from
the yard fence, the door was forced from its hinges, and the girls were
at the mercy of the savages. One was instantly secured, but the eldest
defended herself desperately with a knife she had been using at the
loom, and stabbed one of the Indians to the heart, before she was
tomahawked.
In the meantime, the little girl, who had been overlooked by the enemy
in their eagerness to secure the others, ran out into the yard, and
might have effected her escape, had she taken advantage of the darkness,
and fled; but instead of looking to her own safety, the terrified
little creature ran round the house, wringing her hands, and crying that
her sisters were killed.
[Illustration: THE INDIANS KILLING THE WIDOW'S DAUGHTER.]
Just then the child uttered a loud scream, followed by a few faint
moans, and all was silent. Presently the crackling of flames was heard,
accompanied by a triumphant yell from the Indians, announcing that they
had set fire to that division of the house, which had been occupied by
the daughters, and of which they held undisputed possession.
The fire was quickly communicated to the rest of the building, and it
became necessary to abandon it or perish in the flames. The door was
thrown open, and the old lady, supported by her eldest son, attempted to
cross the fence at one point, while her daughter carrying her child in
her arms, and attended by the younger of the brothers, ran in a
different direction. The blazing roof shed a light over the yard but
little inferior to that of day, and the savages were distinctly seen
awaiting the approach of their victims. The old lady was permitted to
reach the stile unmolested, but in the act of crossing, received several
balls in her breast, and fell dead. Her son, providentially, remained
unhurt, and, by extraordinary agility, effected his escape.
The other party succeeded in reaching the fence unhurt, but in the act
of crossing were vigorously assailed by several Indians, who, throwing
down their guns, rushed upon them with their tomahawks. The young man
defended his sister gallantly, firing upon the enemy as they approached,
and then wielding the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew their
whole attention upon himself, and gave his sister an opportunity of
effecting her escape. He quickly fell however under the tomahawks of his
enemies, and was found at daylight, scalped and mangled in a shocking
manner. Of the whole family, consisting of eight persons, only three
escaped. Four were killed upon the spot, and one, the second daughter,
carried off as a prisoner.
The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and, by daylight, about thirty men
were assembled, under the command of Colonel Edwards. A light snow had
fallen during the latter part of the night, and the Indian trail could
be followed at a gallop. It led directly into the mountainous country
bordering on the Licking, and afforded evidences of great hurry and
precipitation on the part of the fugitives. Unfortunately, a hound had
been permitted to follow the whites, and as the trail became fresh, and
the scent warm, she followed it with eagerness, baying loudly and giving
the alarm to the Indians. The consequences of this imprudence were soon
manifest. The enemy finding the pursuit keen, and perceiving the
strength of their prisoner began to fail, instantly sunk their tomahawks
in her head, and left her still warm and bleeding upon the snow.
As the whites came up, she regained strength enough to wave her hand in
token of recognition, and appeared desirous of giving them some
information, with regard to the enemy, but her strength was too far
gone. Her brother sprang from his horse and endeavored to stop the
effusion of blood, but in vain. She gave him her hand, muttered some
inarticulate words, and expired.
THRILLING INCIDENT.
In mid-winter about four years since, says Miss Martineau, in her Norway
and the Norwegians, a young man named Hund, was sent by his master on an
errand about twenty miles, to carry provisions to a village in the upper
country. The village people asked him for charity, to carry three orphan
children on his sledge a few miles on his way to Bergen, and to leave
them at a house on the road, when they would be taken care of until they
could be brought from Bergen. He took the little things, and saw that
the two elder were well wrapped up from the cold. The third he took
within his arms and on his knee, as he drove, clasping it warm against
his breast--so those say who saw them set off, and it is confirmed by
one who met the sledge on the road, and heard the children prattling to
Hund, and Hund laughing merrily at their little talk. Before they got
half way, however, a pack of hungry wolves, burst out upon them from a
hollow in the thicket to the right of the wood. The beasts followed
close to the back of the sledge. Closer and closer the wolves pressed.
Hund saw one about to spring at his throat. It was impossible for the
horse to go faster than he did, for he went like the wind--so did the
wolves. Hund in desperation, snatched up one of the children behind him,
and threw it over the back of the sledge. This stopped the pack a
little. On galloped the horse. But the wolves were soon crowded around
again, with the blood freezing to their muzzles. It was easier to throw
over the second child than the first--and Hund did it. But on came again
the infuriated beasts--gaunt with hunger, and raging like fiends for the
prey. It was harder to give up the third--the dumb infant that nestled
in his breast, but Hund was in mortal terror. Again the hot breath of
the wolves was upon him. He threw a way the infant and saved himself.
Away over the snow flew the sledge, the village was reached, and Hund
just escaped after all the sacrifice he had made. But he was unsettled
and wild, and his talk, for some time whenever he did speak, night or
day, was of wolves--so fearful had been the effect upon his imagination.
[Illustration]
ADVENTURES
OF REV. DR. BACON AND HIS PARTY, AMONG THE MOUNTAINS OF PERSIA.
Dr. Bacon and Rev. Mr. Marsh, attempted to cross from the city of Mosul,
on the Tigris, to Oroomiah, the residence of the Nestorian Christians.
On their passage through the Kurdish mountains, they were robbed, and
narrowly escaped being murdered, and were finally forced to return
to Mosul.
Dr. Bacon, after describing their departure from Diarbekr, says:
"I defer to another time the description of our romantic and picturesque
passage down the Tigris. By the care of Providence, our whole party
completed this stage, as they had completed the previous and more
fatiguing ones, in safety and comfortable health. We arrived in Mosul
on the 16th of May, in seven days from Diarbekr, and immediately set
about making preparations for continuing our journey into the mountains.
"The engaging of mules, the hiring of servants, and the preparation of
provisions, detained us in Mosul until Wednesday, the 21st of May. The
meantime was spent by us in visiting the excavations on the opposite
side of the river. In the mound of Koyunjik, we followed our guide
through a labyrinth of narrow corridors, lighted dimly by occasional
openings in the firm clay overhead. Some of the sculptures were
described in Mr. Leyard's volumes; others have been since unearthed, and
some most interesting galleries had just been left by the picks of the
workmen. Time, at present, does not permit me to describe them; but I
may mention as among the most interesting of the recent discoveries, a
succession of slabs carved with a representation of the original
transportation of the great winged bulls which adorned the stately
entrances of the palaces of Ninus and Sardanapalus. A collection of
small, inscribed stones, has also been found, supposed to contain public
records; and, but a day or two ago, the workmen brought in the report of
new and still grander sculptures just discovered.
"We had expected to start on Wednesday at sunrise; but various petty
hindrances detained us until late in the afternoon. We then united in
prayer with the family in whose cares, anxieties, and dangers we had
shared through so many weary weeks, and hastened to our saddles. Passing
the Tigris by a rude ferry, we rode in the setting sunlight by the once
mysterious mounds of Koyunjik. The reapers who were still busy within
the grassy walls of fallen Ninevah, came up to us as we passed, with
their sickles on their heads, to present the offering of the first
fruits of harvest. We hurried on, however, and stopped for the night at
a small village little more than an hour from the gate of Mosul."
On the third day they reached the town of Akkre, among the mountains,
where they were obliged to stay three days, waiting for the Kurdish
muleteers. They performed the Sabbath service in a cavern of the
mountain which the native christians had fitted up as a secret chapel.
Leaving Akkre on Monday morning, the 26th of May, they entered the most
dangerous part of the mountains. Mr. B. says:
"We spent this day's nooning by a spring that bursts out near the top of
a steep mountain, and ate our dinner under a tree that distilled upon
the rocks a fragrant gum. Mounting again at two o'clock, in half an
hour we reached the summit, whence we looked down a giddy descent upon
the swift but winding Zab. Here it became necessary to leave our
animals, and work our way down the almost precipitous road, while the
mules slid, scrambled, and tumbled after us as best they might. As I was
pushing on a little in advance of the party, I was met, in a narrow turn
of the path, by an old bearded man, with a dagger in his girdle, who
reached out his hand toward me. I was uncertain at first how to
understand it; but his only object was to press my hand to his lips with
a fervent '_salam aleikum_' (Peace be with you,) to which I responded,
according to usual form, '_aleikum salam_,' (with you be peace.) Meeting
with others of his party, they asked us if we were Nesrani,
(Nazarenes--Christians,) and saluted us with the same respect, going
some distance back on their path with us to show us a cool water spring.
'They then went their ways, and we saw them no more;' but I shall not
easily forget the satisfaction which they showed in recognizing us as
fellow believers here in the land of the infidel, and the kindness with
which they went out of their way to offer us a 'cup of cold water in the
name of a disciple.'"
That night they spent on the banks of the river Zab. The next day,
after traversing a wild pass, hemmed in by perpendicular rocks, more
than a thousand feet in hight, they reached the village of Bizeh, in a
valley of the mountains, and secured a house-top for the night:
"About the middle of the night, Mr. Marsh was waked by a slight noise,
and, lifting his head, saw a party of five or six armed men creeping
stealthily toward our roof, which, on the side toward the hill on which
they were, was only four or five feet from the ground. The foremost man
stopped short for a moment at Mr. Marsh's movement, and turning to his
followers, called out 'Khawaja!' (the gentlemen!) Then seeing that our
old guard was asleep at the stepping stone, he climbed upon the roof at
another corner, and stood for a moment with his long gun at his side.
Mr. Marsh raised himself upon his arm, and demanded in Arabic, 'What do
you want?' The man probably did not understand the language: at any
rate, he made no answer, but turned to the old man, and conversed
earnestly with him in a low tone. The other men gathered near them, as
if to listen and take part. But they all finally went away without doing
any mischief."
The next morning the sentinel who had kept watch over their baggage
attempted to dissuade them from going the direct road, as the people of
the next village had heard of their coming, and were determined to kill
them. However, they kept on; and, in the course of two or three hours,
their guide was stopped by a company of six armed men:
"The place was admirably chosen for the purpose. The narrow path along
the cliff by which we had come, here widened into a little platform
large enough for our mules to stand upon together. In front of us, a
ledge of broken rocks jutted from the mountain and ran down, crossing
our path, and leaving only a very small passage. In front of this path
stood our challengers. Six worse-looking men, whether in form, dress, or
feature, it would be difficult to imagine. Each man wore around his
high, conical felt hat, a turban of handkerchiefs of every hue and
texture; in his hand a long gun with short and narrow breech; and in his
belt the universal Kurdish curved and two-edged dagger. The leader of
the gang was a man of middle age, with black eyes and a grisly,
untrimmed beard, and with half his front teeth knocked out."
After some discussion, the robbers consented to allow them to pass, on
the payment of fifty piastres, (two dollars and a half,) which they
agreed to do, provided they were conducted to the house of the Agha. The
robbers objected to this, and, provoked by the delay, leveled their guns
at the party. At this juncture, the chief muleteer advanced the
necessary money, and they were spared.
"These transactions, from the time we were stopped, occupied about an
hour. We now passed with our ragged regiment straggling around us, now
with their long guns under our ears, and now cutting off the long bends
of our crooked and little used path. In about ten minutes from the pass,
we were hailed by another party, posted upon a hillside, and a
discussion of many minutes ensued between them and our escort, in which
our Kurdish muleteers took an active part. The result was, that we moved
on with an addition of two men to our guard. We soon began to perceive
that we were going toward the Agha rather as prisoners than as guests.
The castle, (if it may be dignified by the name,) which was now in
sight, was of no promising appearance. It was a rude, rectangular
building, with a small white tower at one corner, on which the workmen
were still engaged. It was situated on the side of a hill which formed
the head of a valley opening into the ravine we had just left. The small
windows and the roof were crowded with men, women, and children, gazing
at our singular cavalcade. As we drew near, some women who were bathing
in a brook, rose, and gazed at us with irrepressible curiosity. We
stopped at the door of the castle.
"Here the assault began. The men of our guard flew like savage dogs at
our servants: Khudhr and Ablahad seized the arms which were girded about
them, slashing furiously with their daggers, to cut the straps of their
guns and pistols. The turbans were torn from their heads, and
appropriated among the rabble. Similar violence was about to be shown
us, when these operations were suddenly interrupted by the appearance,
from the castle, of Melul Agha.
"He was a man taller by several inches than any of his tribe, and with
an expression of face which was that of one accustomed to be obeyed, He
was dressed in a more elegant style than could have been expected in
these mountains; wearing upon his head a turban of gray silk, and a long
rifle slung from his shoulders. With a melo-dramatic wave of his hand,
which was at once obeyed, he motioned his noisy tribe to desist, and,
approaching us, pointed out a tree, a few hundred feet up the hill, to
which we might retire. As we moved alone toward this spot, a grim
suspicion of his intentions crossed our minds. Might it not be for
convenience in dispatching us, that we had been removed? We seated
ourselves quietly in the shade, and watched the proceedings. The
property of the muleteers and donkey-drivers had been unloaded and
placed by itself. One of our loads had been thrown from the mule, and
the other was now brought near us, taken from the animal, and laid under
a neighboring tree. Mr. Marsh now went down toward the castle to assist
Khudhr in bringing the rest of our property toward the tree. This done,
Khudhr returned to the crowd to learn what he could of their intentions.
He soon came back to us in evident terror, and said, with a significant
motion of his hand, that they were intending to kill us."
After sending the servant a second time, he came back with the
announcement that the Agha would examine their baggage, take what he
pleased, and send them on to another Agha; but would not allow them to
return to Mosul.
This examination was soon made, and the party was plundered of one
thousand piasters, (forty-four dollars,) besides razors, knives, and a
quantity of clothing.
The whole affair was conducted with a politeness of manner which was
highly creditable to the Agha, and calculated to put us very much at our
ease. He showed himself, in every thing,
----"As mild a mannered man
As ever scuttled ship, or cut a throat"
For instance, in searching our trunk, his eye was caught by a small,
sealed parcel, which I supposed to contain jewelry; I immediately told
him, through a servant, that it was not mine, but had been given to me,
in America, to be delivered in Europe. He immediately put it down, and
proceeded with the search.
"During these operations, several women, some from curiosity, others
from pity, had gathered around us. Among the latter class, was one, who,
from her dress, beauty, and demeanor, could be no other than the wife
of the Agha. She was dressed in a faded, but once magnificent
robe, and trowsers of silk, and wore upon her head a massive and
elaborately-carved ornament of silver. She moved among the fierce and
blood-thirsty savages, with an air of mingled scorn and anxiety,
reproaching them with the shame of the transaction, and pleading
earnestly that our lives and property be spared. She warned them, also,
that our injuries would inevitably be visited upon their heads.
"Having finished his search, the Agha, with the old men of the tribe,
gathered on a ledge of rocks, just behind us, and consulted long and
earnestly. We sat down and dined with what appetite we could muster."
After the robbers had come to their decision, a second search of the
baggage took place, which Mr. Bacon thus describes:
"The pressure of greater and more important dangers had made me quite
resigned to such petty losses as these, and I watched, with much
amusement, the appropriation of unusual articles. A black silk cravat
which had seen much service in New Haven drawing-rooms, was twisted
about the suspicious-looking head of an uncommonly dirty boy. A pair of
heavy riding-boots were transferred to the shoulders of a youth who bore
the 'gallows mark' upon his features with unmistakable distinctness. A
satin vest of Mr. Marsh's was circulating through the crowd, on the
person of a dirty child, who boasted no other wealth but a ragged shirt
and a green pomegranate. I looked at the youngster with a smile of
congratulation; but he turned upon his heel and strutted gravely away,
his new garment trailing on the ground at every step.
"Having lightened our baggage considerably at this haul, they proceeded
to search our persons. It had been our first movement, on being placed
by ourselves, to transfer our watches, together with a locket,--all
priceless memorials of distant or departed friends--from the waistcoat
to the pantaloons fob; a pocket compass attached to my watchguard, was
cared for; likewise, the little note-book in which I was accustomed to
place the map of each day's journey. We knew not how soon we might be
wandering in the mountains on foot, and without a guide. Dr. Bacon had
with him two English sovereigns, and we were uncertain what to do with
them. If we should openly give them to the robbers, we dreaded the
effect of the _auri sacra fames_. If discovered in a secret place, we
might be stripped in the search for more. The attempt to conceal them in
the earth might be perilous. They were finally placed in the waistcoat
fob, from which the watch had been taken, with the hope that the clumsy
Kurds might overlook it.
"They began with me. The Agha, with an irresistible smile and bow of
apology, passed his hand about my waist, feeling for a money belt, then
over my dress; finding that one of my breeches' pockets was full, he
motioned me to empty it, and seemed satisfied when I drew out a
handkerchief and a pair of gloves. Dr. Bacon was then searched, even
more superficially; but as the hand passed over the waistcoat pocket,
something jingled. I held my breath as Dr. B. put in his hand and drew
out a seal, which he had bought at Mosul as an antique Upon Mr. Marsh,
the Agha found a gold pencil case, which pleased him wonderfully. On
being told of its use, he scrawled with the pencil on the beyur-haldeh,
an autograph, for which I have a peculiar value. The mystery of this
was, that he restored the pencil, with a grin of self-righteousness, to
Mr. Marsh."