338 



WESTERN STATES. 



ing, or traffic with the Indians.* In the distant settlements, where society is hardly organiz- 

 ed, offences against it are sometimes punished in a summary manner by the regulators, or 

 associations made for that purpose, f 



As the character of Kentucky seems to be the pervading one of the West, it is proper to 

 describe its prominent points. It is a branch of that of Virginia, modified by a more adven- 

 turous, but secluded life. The Kentuckian is bold in his bearing, and lofty in his port ; but 



* The following is a description of one of the frontier 

 men, taken from the Western Monthly Review. 



" Michael Shuck well, or, as he has been more familiar- 

 ly denominated, Mike Shuck, may be presented as a sam- 

 ple of those voluntary barbarians. Amongst the earliest 

 settlers of Kentucky, Mike Shuck was known a white- 

 headed, hardy urchin, whom nobody claimed kin to, and 

 who disclaimed connexion with all mankind. He was in- 

 ured to danger in the course of the Indian wars of that 

 period ; and when the celebrated Colonel Boone migrated 

 to this country, Mike was one of his numerous followers. 

 Advancing as the settlement progres,sed, for the conven- 

 ience of hunting, he has at last found himself pushed be- 

 yond the boundary of that tract of country to which the 

 Indian title has been extinguished. At present Mike 

 Shuck claims a portable citizenship, or a floating title to a 

 residence that he locates for the time being, whenever he 

 may chance to lay himself down for the night. His rusty 

 rifle has been his constant companion since his first cam- 

 paign under General George Roi;ers Clark. He possess- 

 es, man eminent degree, a knowledge of all the minutiEB 

 of trapping, and lie appropriates his autumns, the proper 

 season for this branch of his business, in exploring the 

 small creeks tliat put into the Missouri above the settle- 

 ments. He is frequently discovered ' at the peep of dawn,' 

 bare-headed and bare-footed, pursuing the meandering of 

 these water-courses, bending under a load of traps, to 

 learn whether or not his bait has attracted the cautious 

 victim ; or for the purpose of locating his traps more ad- 

 vantageously. Such is the accuracy of his skill, that Mike 

 Shuck can make up a pack of beavers, where an Indian, 

 with all his rude knowledge of natural history, would es- 

 teem the prospect hopeless. A gentleman who was in 

 the pursuit of elk, about the middle of November last, dis- 

 covered this modern Crusoe at evening, laden with his 

 etfects, that by great good fortune at this lime amounted 

 to about a pack-horse load. He proposed to encamp with 

 him for the night. Mike muttered a kind of grumbling 

 assent, and led the way, first through an extensive hazle 

 thicket, thence descending into a ravine, he proceeded by 

 a devious route through a compact grove of swamp-ash, 

 and at length arrived at a cheerful fire that had previously 

 been lighted up by our hero, but for which the place would 

 have been as dreary as purgatory. The owls themselves, 

 however pressing their necessities, could scarcely have 

 flapped their way into this dismal labyrinth. But Mike 

 and his plunder, as he very properly termed it in the in- 

 stance, (for it was the legitimate property of the Indians,) 

 was safe. Mike Shuck threw down his burden, and turn- 

 ed to his follower with a malicious smile, or rather a hys- 

 teric grin, and desired him to be seated. The hospitality 

 of his board, if a bear skin spread on the ground deserves 

 the name, was tendered with little ceremony, and consist- 

 ed of a beaver-tail and an elk marrow -bone, both of which 

 were prepared on the coals by mine host in his proper per- 

 son. Mike, as I have before remarked, claims no family 

 connexions ; and if he ever had any, he has outlived them ; 

 he is, therefore, making no provisions for legacy hunters. 

 But he is always, when he deigns to make use of his 

 tongue, grumbling about his arrangements for an easy, in- 

 dependent old age, and speaks of it as if it was very far 

 distant, although he has attained almost fourscore. When 

 the trapping season is over, he betakes himself to his craft, 

 'cS he is pleased to term a cotton-wood canoe, and proceeds 

 to market with his usual indifference towards the ele- 

 ments ' 



T In the following case, related by Audubon, regulating 

 seems defensible. 



" On onr return from the TTpper Missinr.ippi, I found 



myself obliged to cross cce of the wide prairies, which, in 

 that portion of the United States, vary the appearance of the 

 country. The weather was fine, all arouna' me was as 

 fresh and blooming as if it had just issued from the bosom 

 of nature. My knapsack, my gun, and my dog, were all 

 I had for baggage and company. But, although well moc- 

 cassined, I moved slowly along, attracted by the brilliancy 

 of the flowers, and the gambols of the fawns around their 

 dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger as 1 felt 

 myself. My march was of long duration. I saw the sun 

 sinking into the horizon long before I could perceive any 

 appearance of woodland, and nothing in the shape of rnan 

 had I met that day. The track, which I followed was only 

 an old Indian trace, and, as darkness overshaded the 

 prairie. I felt some desire to reach at least a copse, in which 

 1 might lie down to rest. The night-hawks were skim- 

 ming over and around me, attracted by the buzzing wings 

 of the beetles, which form their food, and the distant howl- 

 ing of wolves, gave me some hope that I should soon ar- 

 rive at the skirts of some woodland. I did so, and almost 

 at the same instant a fire-light attracting my eye, I moved 

 towards it, full of confidence that it proceeded from the 

 camp of some wandering Indians. I was mistaken: — I 

 discovered from its glare that it was from the hearth of a 

 small log cabin, and that a tall figure passed and repassed 

 between it and me, as if busily engaged in household ar- 

 rangements. I reached the spot, and presenting myself at 

 the door, asked the tall figure, which proved to be a wo- 

 man, if I might take shelter under her roof for the night. 

 Her voice was gruff", and her attire negligently thrown 

 about her. She answered in the affirmative. I walked in, 

 took a wooden stool, and quietly seated myself by the fire. 

 The next object that attracted my notice was a finely form- 

 ed young Indian, resting his head between his hands, with 

 his elbows on his knees. A long bow rested against a log 

 wall near him, while a quantity of arrows and tv.'o or three 

 raccoon skins lay at his feet. He moved not ; he apparent- 

 ly breathed not. Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, 

 and knowing that they pay little attention to the approach 

 of civilized strangers (a circumstance which in some coun- 

 tries is considered as evincing the apathy of their charac- 

 ter), I addressed him in French, a language not unlie- 

 quently partially known lo the people of the neighborhood 

 He raised his head, pointed lo one of his eyes with his fin- 

 ger, and gave me significant glance with the other. His lace 

 was covered with blood. The fact was, that an hour be- 

 fore this, as he was in the act of discharging an arrow at a 

 raccoon in the top of a tree, the arrow had struck upon a 

 cord, and sprung back with such violence into his right 

 eye as to destroy it for ever. Feeling hungry, I inquired 

 what sort of fare I might expect. Such a thing as a bed 

 was not to be seen, but many large untanned bear and 

 buffalo hides lay piled in a corner. I drew a fine time-piece 

 from my breast, and told the woman it was late, and that I 

 was fatigued. She had espied my watch, the richness of 

 which seemed to operate upon her feelings with electric 

 quickness. She told me there was plenty of venison and 

 jerked buffalo meat, and that on removing the ashes I 

 should find a cake. But my watch had struck her fancy, 

 and her curiosity had to be gratified by an immediate sight 

 of it. I took the gold chain that secured it from around my 

 neck, and presented it to her. She was all ecstasy, spoke 

 of its beauty, asked me its value, and put the chain around 

 her brawny neck, saying how happy the possession of 

 such a watch would make her. Thoughtless, and, as 1 

 fancied myself, in so retired a spot, secuie, I pnid little at- 

 tention to her talk or her movements. I helped my dog 

 to a good supper of venison, and was not long in satisfy 

 ing the demands of my own appetite. The Indian rose 

 from his seat, as if in extreme suffering. He passed 



