The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-03-03

|. down In twlnkllng there. Tradition
, existed of Indian hunters whose skilled
l hands had guided the canoe through thi
8 same flood, but no living man had daret
: the experiment. Huge steamers wen
l down shivering, and some had been tori
: into splinters, while sailing craft of all de-
scriptions made the detour by canal.
"Do you see something stealing along
r the margin yonder!'' said Ballagan tc
f me. 81 have remarked it for an hour"
1 took the proffered glass, and recogniz-
ed distinctly an approaching canoe, and a
wild figure in grey coat sculling in the
, stern. 1t was Jules Ingram. He was
making energetically for the Canada shore,
for he seemed to have an intuition of his
, proximity to the rapids, and ever and
anon, as he advanced, his face was turned
to regard the steamer distrustfully.
"Crouch here by the gunwale," said
Ballagan, "when l give the word run out
the lines of the bateau shall have the
oars, take you my rifle in the bow BE
cool and steady, and obey my or'lers.''
NO soul was aStir upon the vessel; we
watched the guilty man with our hearts
in our eyes. 1t required no effort of his
to drive the bateau towards us, for the ve-
locity of the current impelled it at rae
Ing pace At each instant, the dawn
grew brighter, at each instant, the victim
drew nearer. We marked him with the
naked eye at length-a face like that of
a wild beast. half furtive, half ierOcious,
and gaunt with hunger and anxiety: his
erizzled hairs. uncovered. shaded his say
age beard, and his intiamed eyes glared
generously from their dark, deep sockets.
his clothes were rent and stained, his feet
were SCARED and bare, yet with all his
wretcIledncs<, the attitude of the man was
that of pride and defiance; it was the
consciousness of deserved misery, for which
he could not apologize, and which he had
determined to endure.
The wharf TO which we We're moored
kept him out of view of the rapids till he
had drifted directly beneath us. and then
the danger broke suddenly upon him. lie
seemed stricken dumb, and the oar quiv-
cred in his fingers AT the same moment.
Ballagan called out to me to loosen my
line. The boat dropped like bolt, We
clambered down as hastily. The detec-
tive seized the >cull. while crouched with
the rifle at the bow. aud pushing away in
Il trice. we had almost collidcd with In
grams vessel. before he was we'll aware
of our presence.
1t was pause of Il second The
wretch gave one fierce glance at the shore,
the steamer and the cataract, and then.
with the impulse of despair, struck out
boldly for the rapids.
lie had not the strength of Ballagln
but he was Il better hand with the oar.
His hairs blazed in the winds. his rags
futtered. and his eyes distended till their
pupils grew small and glittering. Both
men worked with the energy OF death, the
one to overtakc and capture before the
: Sluce had pulled them in; the other TO i'll
timidate. perhaps, by semblance OF ell
, sulling both, or failing. TO make that
semblance Il terrible reality.
NV senses were marvclously acute
there was no tiny thing in nature which
did not obServe-lhe twitter of a pass
ing swallow, the chip moving on the
waves, a little fish tluttering at the sur
!, face, 4 distant hawk. sweeping like a
Speck in the sky. the rocking of the boat.
and the crack of Il Splay in the oar, each
carved device upon the stock of the rifles.
the first sunbeam. the cry of an alarmed
man upon the steamer, and the passengers
hurrying upon deck. 1t was the awaken
ing of every encrgy-prelude TO a violent
Notwithstanding man of the glory OF
, that organism which Il moment is TO shat
ter forever.
l had still hope, for we gli,led We,
smoothly upon the current 1t must be
that we were gaining on Ingram-he dar,
ed not perish with his crimes upon hi,
head-he meant to turn and submit. there
/ was still time to escape the cataract
Should l stop his career with the rifle
l lifted the bright barrel with murder hal
way in my heart, my nerves were taut Il,
wires, could have dropped him dead AT
, his helm as readily ly as one wings crow.
| lie saw me glance down the groove, and
his face troze my blood-it was mine re-
tiecied, all the agonies of mans nature
l pleading for life, life, life.
'Do not fire, boy" cried Ballagan he.
tween his teeth, Il will take him alive
: or die with him.
On, and on, and on we galloped-tht
E two oarsmen with black faces wrenchins
5 the waters apart, and could hear tn
r hard breathing of both till the roar of til,
river absorbed all sound So quickly ran
my thought, that likened the noise OF tn,
D waters to human speech, they seemed tt
be shrieking: drowned. drowned
, drowned. and the cry rang out so sono.
D rously thrilling that l caught myself re
e peating it. | wondered if each drop o
e water had not identity, and the waves (:
community of intelligence, and every Cat
aract a like ambition, and that ambition
= now-my death Still saw everything
There was rocky island covered witt
trees, just in the edge Of the rapids; tha
! was our last salvation, if the boat passet
= it by, there was nothing left for hope
5 The spray was tapping us-the waters wer'
q hoarse and thirsty-I looked at Ballagar
5 with dry, mute eyes, but saw no mere,
). there.
:Pra,- ho,- Sa;I he Pray for m