Life and times of GenSamDale, the Mississippi partisan . drew upONears corpse as a shield, and it was rid-dled with balls, two of them inflicting slightwounds upon me. It was some time beforethe fire slackened sufliciently for me to ap-prise them of my position. At the samemoment a party began to fire on the oppo-site side of the thicket, and the Indian, whoall this time was not twenty yards off, butinvisible, took the bold resolution to advanceupon me and escape. Gliding through thecane like a serpent in an almost horizontalposture, he briskly approached me. I cock-ed my rifle, and the instan
Life and times of GenSamDale, the Mississippi partisan . drew upONears corpse as a shield, and it was rid-dled with balls, two of them inflicting slightwounds upon me. It was some time beforethe fire slackened sufliciently for me to ap-prise them of my position. At the samemoment a party began to fire on the oppo-site side of the thicket, and the Indian, whoall this time was not twenty yards off, butinvisible, took the bold resolution to advanceupon me and escape. Gliding through thecane like a serpent in an almost horizontalposture, he briskly approached me. I cock-ed my rifle, and the instant I got sight ofhis head I pulled trigger, but missed fire;before I could re-prime he was upon me (forI was sitting on the ground), with his knifeat my throat and his left hand twisted inmy hair. At the instant one of our troop(Murray) fired, and, leaping to my feet, Iplunged my knife into the Indians he was already dead; Murray had shothim through the heart, and, without a spasmor a groan, he fell heavily into my arms. Wmmn .4 m IIli Aril. THE FMJHT IN TITE CANEBEAKE, GENERAL SAMUEL DALE. 43 He was a brave fellow, so we wrapped hisblanket around him, broke his gun and laidit across his body, and departed. When we reached the Skull Shoals, onOconee, where the paths forked, I was de-tailed by the captain, with three men, totake the prisoners to Greensborough, whencethey were dispatched to Augusta. Soonafter I was intrusted with ten men, andpicketed at Fort Republic, on the Appa-lachee. This was, in fact, a detachment ofscouts. The duty was fatiguing and peril-ous, and each man was sworn to perform days of every six, singly or in couples,we reconnoitred the frontier in oppositedirections, each making a circLiit of twent}^-five miles per day. I generally rode first trail I fell in with I pursued untilnight overtook me, when I tied my horseand lay down under a tree. I was arousedby the snorting of my horse and the clamorof a pack of wolves ; their fierce
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