The Shasta courier., 1869-03-13
The Fatal Mask.

ihS IRE winch was built In one end of their
little fort which had been constructed for
Winter quarters
As usual, story telling was the chief
amusement of the hardy little group, and
when several humorous ones were told a
unanimous call was made by the party for
a story from their chief man, whose record
for fighting Indians and bears and telling
stories was unequalled in the West.
Loud Mat, as he was generally called,
knocked the ashes from his pipe and, Civ
ing the fire poke with long stick, COM
meEced:
"lf hav' to tell ye a story, I'll tell
ye one a little different from any you've
hearn to-night-one tha'l1 tech tender
spot in yer hearts, if thar's any in 'em i;
least it alters does mine.
Wall, to commence with, it war bout
five years ago that war huntin' in comp nv
with teller named Horne, at pint near
the great overland route to Californy, As
buffalers war plenty, skins come in purity
fast, so we set to work and 'rected up a
log cabin to put our skins in from the rainy
weather and to protect ourselves from the
suddint s'prise O Ingins, for the varmints
were purity troublesome sometimes.
wall, We got along without any cite
ment fur bout three months, when one
mornin' we were almost scared outen our
boots by the 'pearance O white man at
our cabin door, Ev'ry dud O. his clothes
and movement O his body war that G. an
Ingin's; and hisaface war all kivered with
blood. From his belt hung two Ingin
sculps, from which the warm blood war
still drippin'. His looks war frightful, and
the feller didn't fail to diskiver the effect
his appearance produced onto US, for as he
stopped at the door he said:
"'Seein' as what yer white, We needn't t.
be afeared, for the aohite man is my friend,
and I've just come to AK privilege to lodge
with ye few days and sleep under yer
roof, fur I'm feelin' little down in the
mouth with tech O the ager"
Havin' recovered my equanimity @
brain, | told him our door was alers open
to frien's and would be glad o his comp n.y."
May | ak yer name 2" axed Horne
The feller smiled, and said:
My name is White Terror Did you
ever hear o me afore?"
ave war perfectly rooted to think we
war to have that feller for companion.-
His name war on the lips O every hunter
of the West, and spoken with thrill o
horror by every brave, squaw and poppoose
O the Ingin nation, fur he war a warm
frien' O the former, and deadlier foe O.
the latter, than all the bars and painters O.
North America.
As time passed, we found White Ter.
ror to be as good feller as l ever come
acrost in fact, We naterly loved him,
though thar seemed to be great secret
restin' onter his heart. He war alers silent
and melancholy
"When we axed him his troubles. he
would turn away, with tear in his great
black eyes, and answer:
"'The lngin is my enemy. 1 hate him
Curse him ?
"This was all O his secret we could ever
git outen him; and hardly day passed
but what Ingn skulp war hung up by the
hand O White Terror
" At last the Ingins, provoked to ven
geance, gathered their warriors fur and
near with the intention of riddin' the coun-
try their enemy-White Terror. Fur
weeks the woods swarmed with painted GUS
es; still White Terror feared 'em not,
though he had many marry escapes.
" At last, as the savages continued to
grow thicker and thicker, new character.
that sent thrill O. horror through every
white hunter 'ceptin' Terror, and thrill
o joy through all the Ingins, 'peared onter
the stage O action; it war hidgeous saw
age that war said to ris outon the ground
and urge on the Ingins when in close pur-
suit O White Terror. Yet never would he
appear but White Terror would as myste-
riously disappear; and, when the persuit
war given up, the hidgeous savage would
glide inter the bushes, or behind hill, and
be seen no more, till White Terror war
closely chased by pack O Ingins
"The ignerent savages, s'posin it war
the spirit O some dead chief come to de-
liver 'em from the torments O the white
race, never dared to foler or ak him ques-
tions. They give him the name O Spirit
OHlci, lOI tHcJ Wal SURE Iley Sceu HlIu IT'S
up outen the ground and fade inter solid
rocks.
I" For months the woods resounded with
the nameso' White Terrer and Spirit Chief.
The government authorities, knowin' that
Spiri. Chief war none other than some dar-
in Ingin in flesh, offered a reward fur his
skulp, fur lots o immergrants war bein'
murdered, as it war supposed, by his in
stermentality. So me and Horne concluded
to lend ahelpin' hand, and maybe we might
git the reward We told Terror of our in
tention, and we noticed he looked orful wild,
but said nothing.
Gone mornin' White Terror left the
cabin quite early, and soon arter me and
Horne follered. We'd gone bout. two
miles when we diskivered White Terror set
in under lone tree that stood in small
openin' in the woods. His face war buried
in his hands, and his rife war lyin' by his
side. He war asleep, or in deep thought;
at least, we thought he war orful careless,
and concluded to go and see what the matter
war; but afore he could move, the crack !