232 AUDUBON 



at least forever impressed upon his memory. The punish- 

 ment inflicted is usually a severe castigation, and the 

 destruction by fire of his cabin. Sometimes, in cases of 

 reiterated theft or murder, death is considered necessary; 

 and, in some instances, delinquents of the worst species 

 have been shot, after which their heads have been stuck 

 on poles, to deter others from following their example. I 

 shall give you an account of one of these desperadoes, as 

 I received it from a person who had been instrumental 

 in bringing him to punishment. 



The name of Mason is still familiar to many of the navi- 

 gators of the Lower Ohio and Mississippi. By dint of 

 industry in bad deeds, he became a notorious horse-stealer, 

 formed a line of worthless associates from the eastern 

 part of Virginia (a State greatly celebrated for its fine 

 breed of horses) to New Orleans, and had a settlement on 

 Wolf Island, not far from the confluence of the Ohio and 

 Mississippi, from which he issued to stop the flatboats, 

 and rifle them of such provisions and other articles as he 

 and his party needed. His depredations became the talk 

 of the whole Western country ; and to pass Wolf Island 

 was not less to be dreaded than to anchor under the walls 

 of Algiers. The horses, the negroes, and the cargoes, his 

 gang carried off and sold. At last, a body of Regulators 

 undertook, at great peril, and for the sake of the country, 

 to bring the villain to punishment. 



Mason was as cunning and watchful as he was active 

 and daring. Many of his haunts were successively found 

 out and searched, but the numerous spies in his employ 

 enabled him to escape in time. One day, however, as he 

 was riding a beautiful horse in the woods he was met by 

 one of the Regulators, who immediately recognized him, 

 but passed him as if an utter stranger. Mason, not dream- 

 ing of danger, pursued his way leisurely, as if he had met 

 no one. But he was dogged by the Regulator, and in such 

 a manner as proved fatal to him. At dusk, Mason, having 



