"Ugh!" and sprang at him with all the savage fury he was master of. Neither of them had a weapon in his hands, and the Indian, seeing Logston bleeding freely, thought he could throw him down and dispatch him. In this he was mistaken. They seized each other, and a desperate scuffle ensued. Joe could throw him down, but could not hold him there. The Indian being naked, with his hide oiled, had greatly the advantage in a ground scuffle, and would still slip out of Joe's grasp and rise. After throwing him five or six times, Joe found, that between loss of blood and violent exertions, his wind was leaving him, and that he must change the mode of warfare or lose his scalp, which he was not yet willing to spare. He threw the Indian again, and without attempting to hold him, jumped from him, and as he rose, aimed a fist blow at his head, which caused him to fall back, and as he would rise, Joe gave him several blows in succession, the Indian rising slower each time. He at last succeeded in giving him a pretty fair blow in the burr of the ear, with all his force, and he fell, as Joe thought, pretty near dead. Joe jumped on him, and thinking he could dispatch him by choking, grasped his neck with his left hand, keeping his right one free for contingencies. Joe soon found the Indian was not so dead as he thought, and that he was making some use of his right arm, which lay across his body, and, on casting his eye down, discovered the Indian was making an effort to unsheath a knife that was hanging at his belt. The knife was short, and so sunk in the sheath that it was necessary to force it up by pressing against the point. This the Indian was trying to effect, and with good success. Joe kept his eye on it, and let the Indian work the handle out, when he suddenly grabbed it, jerked it out of the sheath, and sunk it up to the handle into the Indian's breast, who gave a death groan and expired. Joe now thought of the other Indian, and not knowing how far he had succeeded in killing or crippling him, sprang to his feet. He found the crippled Indian had crawled some distance towards them, and had propped his broken back against a log, and was trying to raise his gun to shoot him, but in attempting to do which he would fall forward, and had to push against his gun to raise himself again. Joe, seeing that he was safe, concluded he had fought long enough for healthy exercise that day, and not liking to be killed by a crippled Indian, he made for the fort. He got in about nightfall, and a hard-looking case he was-blood and dirt from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, no horse, no hat, no gun-with an account of the battle that some of his comrades could scarce believe to be much else than one of his big stories in which he would sometimes indulge. He told them they must go and judge for themselves. Next morning a company was made up to go to Joe's battle-ground. When they approached it, Joe's accusers became more confirmed, as there was no appearance of dead Indians, and nothing Joe had talked of but the dead horse. They, however, found a trail, as if something had been dragged away. On pursuing it they found the big Indian, at a little distance, beside a log, covered up with leaves. Still pursuing the trail, though not so plain, some hundred yards further, they found the broken-backed Indian, lying on his back, with his own knife sticking up to the hilt in his body, just below the breastbone, evidently to show that he had killed himself, and that he had not come to his end by the hand of an enemy. They had a long search before they found the knife with which Joe killed the big Indian. They at last found it forced down into the ground below the surface, apparently by the weight of a person's heel. This had been done by the crippled Indian. The great efforts he must have made, alone, in that condition, show, among thousands of other instances, what Indians are capable of under the greatest extremities. Some years after the above took place, peace with the Indians was restored. That frontier, like many others, became infested with a gang of outlaws, who commenced stealing horses and committing various depredations; to counteract which a company of regulators, as they were called, was raised. In a contest between these and the depredators, Big Joe Logston lost his life, which would not be highly esteemed in civil society. But in frontier settlements, which he always occupied, where savages and beasts were to be contested with for the right of the soil, the use of such a man is very conspicuous. Without such, the country could never have been cleared of its natural rudeness, so as to admit of the more brilliant and ornamental exercises of arts, sciences, and civilization. RAPPAHANNOCK. RAPPAHANNOCK was formed in 1831, from Culpeper. It is named from the river which runs on its northern boundary. Its soil is fertile, and productive in wheat and corn. Length about 18, breadth 17 miles. Pop. in 1840, whites 5,307, slaves 3,663, free colored 287; total, 9,257. i Washington, the seat of justice, is 123 miles ww. of Richmond, and 75 from Washington city. It is a fine village, near the foot of the Blue Ridge, in a fertile country, and upon one of the head branches of the Rappahannock. It contains a church, an academy, 2 stores, and about 60 dwellings. Sperryville, 6 miles s. of the C. H., Woodville, 10 miles from it, and Flint Hill, contain each about 30 dwellings. RITCHIE. RITCHIE was formed in 1843, from Harrison, Lewis, and Wood, and named in honor of Thomas Ritchie, Esq.: it is about 25 miles long, and 20 broad. The surface is generally hilly and broken, and the soil not fertile, except on the streams, where there is considerable champaign country. Harrisville, the county-seat, lies about 37 miles east of Parkersburg, and 4 miles s. of the ww.turnpike: it contains 2 stores, 1 tannery, 1 Baptist and 1 Methodist church, and about 15 dwellings. Estimated population of the county, 1,800. ROANOKE. ROANOKE was formed from Botetourt, in 1838. The name is probably derived from the Indian word Roenoke, or Rawrenoke, signifying the Indian shell-money. It is a small county, with a mean length of about 20, and mean width of 18 miles. The Blue Ridge forms its eastern boundary; the western parts are mountainous. Much of the soil of the county, particularly on the Roanoke River in the vicinity of Big Lick, is of almost unequalled fertility, and productive in hemp, wheat, and tobacco. Pop. in 1840, whites 3,843, slaves 1,553, free colored 101; total, 5,499. Salem, the county-seat, is in the valley of Virginia, on the west bank of Roanoke River, 178 miles westerly from Richmond, 25 miles NE. of Christiansburg, and 23 from Fincastle. The navigation of the Roanoke, from Weldon, N. C., to this place, 244 miles, is completed by canals, sluices, &c. Salem is a neat village, and contains 6 stores, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, and 1 Methodist church, and a population of about 450. Big Lick, 7 miles E. of Salem, on the main stage-road, contains a Baptist church and a few dwellings. The skeleton of a mammoth was found a few years since in this vicinity. Burlington contains a few dwellings. The Botetourt Springs, in the northern part of the county, 12 miles from Fincastle, are quite popular, and the improvements are sufficient to accommodate a large number of visitors. The spring contains sulphur, magnesia, carbonic acid gas, &c. ROCKBRIDGE. ROCKBRIDGE derives its name from the celebrated natural bridge: it was formed in 1778, from Augusta and Botetourt. Its mean length is 31, mean breadth 22 miles. This county is principally watered by North River-a branch of James River-and its tributaries. It flows diagonally through the county, and joins the main branch of James River at the foot of the Blue Ridge, where their united waters force a passage through. Much of the soil is of a superior quality, and highly cultivated. It is one of the most wealthy agricultural counties in the state. Pop. in 1840, whites 10,448, slaves 3,510, free colored 326; total, 14,284. Brownsburg, 12 miles NE. Of Lexington, on the road to Staunton, contains about 30 dwellings; near it is the old church, long known as the New Providence meeting-house. Fairfield, 13 miles NNE. of Lexington, contains a Methodist and a free church, and about 25 dwellings. Lexington, the county-seat, 146 miles from Richmond, 188 from Washington city, 35 from Lynchburg, 35 from Staunton, and 37 from Fincastle, is beautifully situated on the west bank of North River, one of the main branches of the James. It was founded in 1778, and was originally composed almost exclusively of wooden buildings, most of which were destroyed by fire in 1794. The town speedily recovered from the effects of the catastrophe. It is now quite compact, many of the buildings are of brick, and some of the private mansions-among which is that of the gov ernor of Virginia, James M'Dowell, Esq. -are beautifully situated. A recent English traveller says, "The town, as a settlement, has many attractions. It is surrounded by beauty, and stands at the head of a valley flowing with milk and honey. House-rent is low, provisions are cheap, abundant, and of the best quality. Flowers and gardens are more prized here than in most places." Lexing ton contains 13 mercantile stores, 2 newspaper printing offices, Washington College, the Virginia Military Institute, a fine classical school under the charge of Mr. Jacob Fuller, Ann Smith academy, which is a female institution, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopalian, 1 Baptist, and 1 Methodist church, and about 1,200 inhabitants. |