One day a report was spread in the neighbourhood of Port Gibson, that a strange monster, of the ourang-outang species, had penetrated the canebrakes upon the western banks of the Mississippi.  Some negroes declared to have seen him tearing down a brown bear; an Arkansas hunter had sent to Philadelphia an exaggerated account of this recently discovered animal, and the members of the academies had written to him to catch the animal, if possible, alive, no matter at what expense.  A hunting expedition was consequently formed, hundreds of dogs were let loose in the canebrakes, and the chase began.

The hunters were assembled, waiting till the strange animal should break cover, when suddenly he burst upon them, covered with blood, and followed closely by ten or fifteen hounds.  He was armed with a heavy club, with which he now and then turned upon the dogs, crushing them at a blow.  The hunters were dumb with astonishment; mounting their horses, they sprang forward to witness the conflict; the brute, on seeing them, gave a loud shout; one of the hunters, being terrified, fired at him with his rifle; the strange animal put one of its hairy paws upon its breast, staggered, and fell; a voice was heard:  “The Lord forgive you this murder!”

On coming near, the hunters found that their victim was a man, covered with hair from head to foot; he was senseless, but not dead.  They deplored their fatal error, and resolved that no expense or attention should be spared upon the unfortunate sufferer.  This hunted beast, this hairy man, was Finn.  The wound, not being mortal, was soon cured; but he became crazy, and did not recover his reason for eight months.  He related his adventures up to his quitting the Lost Prairie:  after which all was a blank.  His narrative soon spread all over the States, and land speculators crowded from every part to hear Finn’s description of the unknown countries.  The government became anxious to establish new settlements in these countries, and Finn was induced to commence the work of colonization by the gift of the “Lost Prairie.”  Money was also supplied to him, that he might purchase slaves; but before taking possession of his grant, he went to Missouri to visit his old friend, and claim his bride.  Her father had been dead for some time, but the daughter was constant.

With his wife, his brother-in-law, his negroes, and several waggons loaded with the most necessary articles, Finn forced his way to Little Rock, on the Arkansas River, whence, after a short repose, he again started in a S.S.W. direction, through a hilly and woody country never before travelled.  At last he reached the “Lost Prairie,” nothing was heard of him for two years, when he appeared at Nachitoches in a long cow[28] laden with produce.

[Footnote 28:  A cow is a kind of floating raft peculiar to the western rivers of America, being composed of immense pine-trees tied together, and upon which a log cabin is erected.]