Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-02-03

my omlBous bird aloft on spectral fT. Ny
companions had ceased rowing, too, and called
/ my attention to a canoe, which was floating
l down the river a few wards ahead or Ns. They
thought it wgs break loose, and stood BY to
strike boat-book into it, with The prospect
OK reward from the owner, up at the village
I IL soon dropped down to us, and camei ike the
I note Of that ghostly wcodpecker, tapping
i against our skif. There was stihed cry OF
horror from the settler at the bow; and as We
crowded forward to see what was the matter,
i another cried out the awful tale OF blood
4 "Here. Young fellow. see your brother--stalked
I BY Oller, as sare's there's death in rifle bull
1 letD
It was an awful end Ny poor brother lay
/ bent over bis idle paddle in tie canoe, weller
| ing in bis hearts blood. An ayenging bullet
bad passed through his heart. Staiked BY
/ OiieFi Fiendish Indian, that was thy work,
! and my bro'her's blood rested on thy head. /
shall not now detail the agonies Of that Indian
summer. Through all my grief ran the thought
Of an exterminsting vengeance. Vengeance?
nay, scant Justice. ] sought what has been
the Law since the world beean-blood for
blood. It was in vain, in those early times Of
Judicial system in Canada, to seek for rig
orous pursuit from the dispensers Of legal jus
! tiee; the criminal executive might be willing,
J bul tnelr arm was weak. heLltDuLtong IN tle
1 trackess wild OF wood and water where |
dwelt, could proceed only from ny own steady
purposes and solitary endeaVor.
! | could depend for but small aid on the set
/ tiers. Ssme Of them, indeed, cursed the foul
murder in no stinted speech bot others, again,
/ imputed little crime to the blOod-stained red
! skin, and even went so far as to Justify his
sneaking code Of vengeance. olier had left
4 the district, but certain instinct told me be
would, ere long, come back again. Likely
1 enough, be would suppose ! could not long re-
/ main in place to which such hateful memo
Ties clung, and that he might then safely ven
ture back. I waited my time. Safe be was
I 10 the tangled thicket, but, TO The end, knew
that no cover under heaven would preserve
I him harmless from ny grasp.
Winter set IN, hard, and white and cold. |
/ The river ScngOg was a level road OF ice the |
I trees were choked up with snow, and on each |
side Of the ice bound river, the forests lowered
! like massive cliffs of chalky rock. No path /
could noB be forced into the recesses Of the /
forest below our village. Scarcely had winter
set led down for bis undstarbed reign, than l
heard Whisperings that the villain half-breed |
was hevering on the outskirts OF the settle /
ment Il was told to me that be WAS living in /
a kind of a wigwam above the village, and 1
also had more than once come to the very /
dwelling of the settlers by niget to visit his |
friends, and obtain various articles for his |
camp. | knew I. Wouia oe N vain 70 udck i
him to his wigwsm, or, at all events, to sur
prise him dis Woodcraft was much too deep 1
to admit Of such a possibility. But strange, 1
wild Joy, trembled through my being, when /
beard be came by night to the village. A ter
ribe scheme Of vengeance swept across my /
soul; and / felt, no matter how fendish the
spirit, that the doom Of the half-bfsed was
fixed, and that was 10 be his unrelsnting exc
cutioner.
have said that the river, below our settle
ment, wss bordered By an impenetrable forest,
without a symptom Of clearing OF the abode Of
man. The srifted snow, lying in deep masses
on each side Of the river, up even to the tops
Of the trees, rendered this impenstrabii!ty still
more appalling and stubborn. The forest which
lined the ice bound Scugog supported the solid
wall OF frozen snow. Fer twenty miles, the
river with its wooden banks was nothing more
nor less than a funnel OF ice and snow.
Night after night, lay concealed at the
bluff, awaiting the murderer / was armed
With pistols, and wore skates. Skating was
an amusement which had excelled In when a
scbool-doy, and facility in the art was Of the
last Importance TO my scheme Of retrlbution.
At length be came. 1t was an exquisite night;
the whole eXpaDse around spaTkled in the
sheen Of young Canadian moon, which sail
ed calmly through a eloudless sky. / could
have shot the villain as he s6ated by me with
in fifty yards, but ] would not risk the chance,
ana UeElQeSs vengeance EIled T0E a hIeEueE
fate than death BY the pistol. No sooner was
be past my hiding place, than, with shout
Of exultstion, ! started on his track. Olier
swerved a moment to see who his puTsueT was, |
then, quick as lightning, tried to double up the
river again. But [ had anticipated this, and
with a cooked pistol in either hand, ! barred
his. passage. With curse, be turned, and
sped swiftly down the ice.
And now the race for life began. Mile after
mile we swept along in silence. An awful,
poTtentous silence it was, through which moth
ing broke save the hollow boom Of the swift
Steel, cutting its way over the imprisoned Seu-
gos. The moon lit me nobiy 0 my vengeance.
IL could not escape me, for | found with saw
age gl.e that / was a match for the swift
footed Indian. Oiier soon became aware Of
this, too, for, now and then, ne would skate
close to the woods, locking in vain for an ap- ]
erture. But, no, there was but one outlet from
this walled-in river, and that was over the
fall
Faster and faster yet we skated toward the
cataract. It could not be-far of. I pictured
to myself what Oilers thoughts might be. Did
he know whittier be was Fastening, or had that
awful thought vet to fash on bis gully mind ?
The half-breed made answer TO my thought. /
saw him in the pale simmer start convul-
sivsiy, and throw bis arms in the air, but be
dared not stop, and on be dsTted again, with
a veil Of despair, which echoed, weird-like, up
the frozen channel Another sound came to
my ear, and / knew what had caused that cry
Of agony to burst from 0lier-it was tie dull
thunder of the falls We were nearing them
fast Sill ths walls of snow shut in my vic
tin, and every moment lessencd bis fail hopes
OF escape. One chance was left him-to dis
tsnce me-, and hide somewhere in the snow
from my scrutiny. Vain hope; the wings Of
The bird could scarce have saved him
Hoarser and louder grew the noise Of the
waters. IL | thanked the Almighty in frantic
prayer that the murderer was delivered into
my hand, / humbly trust that it is forgiven me
now. From the time that | had first started
on Oilers track, we had maintained exactly !
the same distance between US, perhaps about
Z hundred or hundred and fifty yards. still
grssped my loaded pistol, ready for any STRAIT
agem on She part Of the murderer.
And now the crash o. the falls came loud
and Ominous on the ear. Another five minutes
would decide the hunt. Suddenly 0her turned ,
and stood at bay. He was not armed; felt
certain OF that all along, for otherwise be
would have measured strength with me before.
Without abating my pace, skated down upon
him, holding a leveled pistol In each hand.
Still my purpose was as fixed as ever oniy to
shoot The william as a last resource. When
was within twenty yards OF him, the eowar
faltered, and again turned swiftly down the
river. With a yelling laugh / pursued him,
FtNacAl-5 o~tiA AAisAS Ag-tg oh LIS ttdLhs
Deafening was the roar Of the cataract:
high into The pale sky ascsnded the mist Of it's
spray, through which the splin cred lines Of
the moonlight daTted in rainbow-tinted beauty
could see directly in front the Jagged line Of
the ice, where it was broken BY the rapids ini-
mediately above the cataract, and beyond it
could trace the dark volume Of the Scugog, as
it emerged from its prison Of snow and ice.
For an instant the half-bresd turned bis face
toward me, as Ipressed with concentrated hate
on bis footsteps never shall forget the hor- I
rible despair that distorted the villains fea-
lures. Il was mercy that the sullen roar Of
the'falis drowned bis curses-I knew be was
shrieking curses on ms-for they would have
haunted me in after years.
With the courage which is begotten Of the
darkest despair, he dashed on to the brink of
the rapids, snd the next moment I was alone
on the ice. gazed wi b stern joy on the dark
flood which had seized in its Tesistless hands
The sheddsr OF blood, and was hurryiHg him
over the falls. For a moment I thought
could see the murderer struggle in the eddies
but the illusion, if it was one, could live only
for an instant. Tue cataract was within pis-
to shot, and as I turned up the dresry wilder.
ness of ice and snow, knew that the doom Of
the guilty skater had been fulfilled.
DRs. SPIEGEL d REINACH,