Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-10-29
A Shot for q Life.

eG DdLh UOlui IuSSSu CllIISi llldG III tlleI
submits five hundred and a thousand feet,
as the case may be, above the stream, there
lived in early times a settler by the name
of Rufus BransOn, who with his wife and
little child, charming young girl of some
eight or nine years of age, occupied the
rude cabin at the base of the preciplce lit
tie back from the river.
Although greatly exposed to danger, the
Indians at that time being very plentiful
throughout the region, he managed to live
quietly for several years.
The Indians frequently visited the rude
home of the hunter, and being always well
coined and provided with such food as was
in the larder, they maintained friendly
attitude. Especially were they fond of the
child, Maggie, and more than one fierce
warrior had been seen sitting on the grass
in front of the cabin, listening to the child
ish prattle of the little one, or else engaged
in making her some toy or plaything from
willow twigs or plant bark.
In this manner several years had been
passed, and Rufus Branson came to feel as
secure as though he was within the walls
of a frontier fort. One evening Branson
and his wife were seated near the doorway,
when suddenly shadow fell across the
threshold, and the next mOmenta tall saw
age, whose Keeling step and bloodshot eyes
told that he was intOXlct ted, appeared, and
staggering to the log steps threw himself
upon them. His first demand was for fire
water which was of course refused on the
ground that there was none in the house.
The Indian became cross and ugly, and de-
clared with terrible oaths that if the liquor
was not produced he would murder the
whole household. Branson was brave,
determined man, and although he dreaded
the necessity, yet he saw he would be COM
PEELED to take prompt steps to prevent the
savage from executing his threat.
Waiting until the warrior had made a
demonstration, which lie soon did by at
tempting to draw his tOmahawk, Branson
sprung at him, knocked him down with q
blow of his fist, and then quietly dsarmed
and bound him where he lay. After few
moments of furious rawlings and futile eff
forts to free himself, the savage rolled over
and sank into drunken skeep. He did
not awake until the next morning, but be-
fore he did so the settler had quietly re-
moved his bonds and restored the weapons,
which he laid by the sleeper's side. The
savage, on awakening, rose slowly to his
feet, felt his wrists, as though the
thongs had left feeling there, took up his
weapons, and, without speaking a word,
left and disappeared in the timber near
What do you think of that?n asked
frightened look.
"Pshaw! Don't trouble your head
about the drunken brute!n answered. the
settler, lightly but as he turned away and
stepped into the yard he muttered:
Like it? Well, not much. The fellow
must be watched. l was in hopes he
would not have remembered; but that
lump where my fist landed was enough, il
nothing else, to recall the circumstance.
The summer passed, and they saw theil
drunken guest no more. he failed to make
his appearance. But as the leaves began
to fall, the settler one day, while returning
from hunting on the hills, and passing
through a dense piece of timber not faI
from the house, caught sight of q figure
lurking in the bushes, but quickly disap-
peared when he advanced to where it was
The figure was that of an Indian warrior
and Branson would have sworn that ii
was the same Indian whom he had knock
ed down and bound the previous spring.
The news was not in any way comforting,
and hence he did not tell his wife of his
discovery.
1t would only alarm her. he thought,
and, without, perhaps, any good result.
He simply told her he had discovered bear
tracks near by, and that she aud the child
must stay within or close to the house du-
ring his absence.
Several days afterwards, Rufus Branson
heard his dogs IN the timber down by the
river. and, knowing they never opened
without good cause, he caught up his rifle
aud hasteued to where they were barking.
They had struck a fresh bear trail, and as
De- arrived in sight they fairly lifted it, 20
lug Off ia q straight line down the river.
The chase led him several miles, and
when he az lest got q shot that finished
Bruins career, lie found tEat il was three
ur four o'clock in theatteruoou. Swinging
his meat 70 saplipg, out Of reach Of wolf
on cat, he started Tor home to get his horse
and return and fetch il that night. .-
Taking near cut, he approached the
cabin from the western side, where the
timber grew heavy up to within few
Yards Of the building, and consequently he
could not see the clearing, or what might
he transporting there, until he had passed
through the wood.
Thus it was that, when within a short
distance Of his home, he heard a wild,
oiercing shrek but he could only guess
that something terrible must be taking
place beyond the screen OF bushes and
leaves. Utterng a loud shout, that his
presence might sooner be known, BransOn
sprang forward like a wounded DUCK,
great fear in his heart, for he had only 700
clearly recognized in that scream the ago
niZed voice OF his wife, . -. 81 "A, Z
II took but moment for Inn 10 clear
The intervening timber and underground,
and "a he dashed out into the clearing,
noIdinp his rifle ready for instant use, he
,,ornnrehended at one swift glance all that
[,aJ talan Mace and what was further to