106 THE REGULATORS. 



The name of Mason is still familiar to many of the navigators of the 

 Lower Ohio and Mississippi. By dint of industry in bad deeds he be- 

 came a notorious horse-stealer, formed a line of worthless associates from 

 the eastern parts 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 flat-boats, 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 caro-oes, 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 recognised him, but passed him 

 as if an utter stranger. Mason, not dreaming of danger, pursued his way 

 leisurely, as if he had met no one. But he was dogged by the Regula- 

 tor, and in such a manner as proved fatal to him. At dusk. Mason hav- 

 ino- reached the lowest part of a ravine, no doubt well known to him, 

 hoppled (tied together the fore-legs of) his stolen horse, to enable it to 

 feed during the night without chance of straying far, and concealed him- 

 self in a hollow log to spend the night. The plan was good, but proved 

 his ruin. 



The Regulator, who knew every hill and hollow of the woods, marked 

 the place and the log with the eye of an experienced hunter, and as he 

 remarked that Mason was most efficiently armed, he galloped off to the 

 nearest house, where he knew he should find assistance. This was easily 

 procured, and the party proceeded to the spot. Mason, on being attacked, 

 defended himself with desperate valour ; and as it proved impossible to se- 

 evure him alive, he was brought to the ground with a rifle ball. His head 

 was cut off, and stuck on the end of a broken branch of a tree, by the 

 nearest road to the place where the affray happened. The gang soon dis- 

 persed, in consequence of the loss of their leader, and this infliction of 

 merited punishment proved beneficial in deterring others from following 

 a similar predatory life. 



