The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-11-06
NUMBER IS.
A SHOT roR A LIFE.


, cabin at She base of the precipioe a lit
tie back from the river.
Although greatly exposed TO danger,
: the Indians at that time being very plen-
tiful throughout the region, he managed
to live quietly for several years.
The Indians frequently visited the
rude home Of the hunter, and being
J always welcomed and provided with
such food as wss in the larder, they
maintained q friendly attitude Espe
c1ally were they fond of the child,
Maggie, and more than one fierce war
nor had been seen sitting on the grass
IN front of the cabin, listening to Che
childish prattle of the little one, or else
engaged in making her some toy or
oiaything from willow twigs on plant
In this manner several years had been
passed, and Rufus BransOri came to fael
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
moment a tall savage, whose reeling
step and bloc shot eyes told that he vas
intoxicated, appeared, and staggering TO
the log steps threw himself upon them.
bis first demand was for frs-water,
which was of course refused, on the
ground that there vas none in the
house. The Indian became cross and
ugly, and declared with terrible oaths
that If the liquor was not produced he
would murder the whole household.
BransOn was a brave, determined man,
and although he dreaded the necessity,
yet he saw he would be compelled TO
take prompt steps to prevent the savage
from executing his threat.
rT.sA L.
demonstration, which he soon did by
attempting to draw his tomahavk,
Branson sprung at him, knocked him
down with blow of his fist, and then
quietly disarmed and bound him where
he lay. After a few moments of furious
rawlings and futile efforts to free himself,
the savage rolled over and into a
drunken sleep. He did not awake until
the next morning, but before he did so
| the settler had quietly removed his
bonds and restored the weapons, which
he laid by the sleeper's side. The saw
age, on awakening, rose slowly to his
feet, felt his wrist, as though the thongs
had left a feeling there, took up his
weapons and, without a word, left aud
disappeared in the timber near by.
"What do you think of that?' asked
the wife, turning to her husband with a
frightened look. ri
"Pshaw Don't trouble your head
about the drunken brute 70 answered
/ the settler, lightly; but as he turned
away and stepped into the yard he NUT
tered:
Like il? Well, not much. The fell
low must be watched. / was in hopes
| that he would not have remembered,
but that lump, where my fist landed,
was rnOugh, if nothing else, to recall
the circumstance.
The summer passed, and they saw
their 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 far from the house,
caught sight of a figure lurking into
the bushes, but quickly disappeared
| when he advanced to where it was. The
| figure was that of an Indian warrior, and
Branson would have sworn that it vas
the Indian warrior whom he had knocked
down and bound the previous spring
The news was not in any way comfort
ing. and hence he did not tell his wife
of his discovery.
It 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 and |
th' child must stay within or close TO
the house during his absence.
Several days afterwards, Rufus Bran-
son heard his dogs IN the timber down
by the river, and, knowing they never
opened without good cause, he caught |
mp his rifle and hastened tc where they
were barking. They had strrck fresh /
bear trail, aud, as he arrived "a sight, |
they fairly lifted it, gong of in !
straight line down the river
The chase led him several miles, and, |
when he at last got shot that finished /
bruins career, he found that il was /
three or four o'clock in the afternoon. !
Swinging his meat to sapling, out Of /
reach of cat or wolf, he started for 1
home TO get bis horse and return and /
fetch It that night.
Taking q near cut, he approached the 1
cabin from the western side, where the |
timber grew heavy up to within q few /
yards of the building, and consequent |
ly he could not see the clearing, or what |
might be transpiring there, until he had i
passed through the wood.
Thus it was, that when within a short /
distance Of bis home, he heard wild, /
piercing shrek but ne could only /
guess that something terrible must be |
taking place beyond the screen Of bush /
that his presence might tBoopeF be known,
Branson sprang forward like wounded |
buck, a great fear in his heat, Tor he |
had only too clearly recognized in chat |
scream the agonized voice Of his wife.
1t took but a moment 10 clear the |
intervening timber and underEroWth, |
and as be dashed ont into the clearing, |
holding his rife ready for instant use, /
he cOmprehended in one swift glance all |
that had taken place, and what was fur |
ther to foar.
Near the end Of the cabin, facing the |
cliff, of which have spoken, stood the |
mother, her face as paliid as death, her /
arms Outstretched, her staring eyes fixed /
upon theprecipitOus heights upon which |
the figure of Indisn was struggling.
- Ny child my child Z" was all the !
woman said, and Bradson saw tket the /
bundle in the Indians arms vas the !
form OF their only child, Maggie.
Firm OF heart, aud with nerves as
steady az the rocks around, the father /
for q moment quaiied and COW
cred under what his quick senses /
told him, the deadly peril Of the little /
one. Bui be was quick to recover.
The Indian was drawing away. step /
BY step he was increasing the distance,
and a. he occasionally glanced back
ward and downward, the parents taW 10 1
his hidsously painted eountsnaace the /
fell purpose that actuated the abdue- |
tor.
God aid met" Bransou muttered, IS /
ho raised his rife, giancing through l
the sights, and touched the trigger
The Indian started violently at the /
shot. He was hit but not badly, and /
with a yell Of dsvilish triumph lie /
passed upward.
ssToo low BY a couple Of inches, +"
said a low, calm voice 81 The settlers ]
elbow.
Bransou started ns though he himself /
has been shot Where vas this man
from? Who vas be? Neither had !
seen him approach. But there was no /
time for explanations. The stranger, q
man rather below than shove ordinary
height. whose 6ne, athletic form was
fully displayed by his closely fitting
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