Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-12-23
NO. 3o3.
A SHOT FOR LIFE.

mits five hundred and thousand feet, as
the case may be, above the stream, there
lived in early times settler by the name
of Rufus Branson, who with his wife and
little child. a charming young girl OF some
eight or nine years OF age, occupied the
rude cabin at the base of the precipice y
little back from the river.
Although greatly exposed to danger, the
Indians at that time being very plentiful
throughout that region, he managed to live
quietly for several years.
The Indians frequently visited the rude
home of the hunter, and being always
welcomed and provided with such food as
was in the larder, they maintained a
friendly attitude. Especially were they
fond of the child, Maggie, and more than
one fierce warrier had been sitting on the
grass in front of the cabin, listening to the
childish prattle of the little one or else en-
gagged in making 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 the frontier fort. One evening
Branson and his wife were seated near the
doorway, when suddenly shadow fell
across the threshold, and the next moment
II tall savage, whose reeling step and blood
shot eyes told that he was intoxicated, ap-
peared, and staggering to the log steps,
threw himself upon them. His first de-
mand was for fire water, which was, of
course. refused, on the ground that there
was none in the house. The Indians be-
came cross and declared with terrible
oaths that if the liquor was not produced
he would murder the household. Branson
wac brovo 1oforrpinoA mon and oil
though he dreaded the necessity, yet he
saw he would compelled to take prompt
steps to prevent the savage from executing
his threat.
Waiting until the warrier had made q
demonstration, which he soon did by at
tempting to take out his tomahawk, Bran
son sprang at him, knocked him down by
a blow of his fist. and then he quietly dis
armed and bound him where he lay. After
few moments Of furious rawlings and fu-
tile efforts TO free himself, the savage
rolled over and sank into drunken sleep.
He did not awake until the next morning,
but before he did SO the settler had quietly
removed his bands and restored his weap-
ons, 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 weap-
ons and, without speaking a word, left and
disappeared in the timber near by.
What do you think of that ?" asked the
wife, turning to her husband with fright
ened look.
"Pshaw! Don't trouble your head about
the drunken brute y answered the settler
lightly but as he turned away and stepped
into the yard he muttered:
Like il? Well, not much. The fellow
must be watched was in hopes that he
would not have remembered, but that lump
where my fist landed was enough, 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 figure
lurking in the bushes but which quickly
disappeared when he advanced to where
it was. The figure was that Of an Indian
warrior, and Branson would have sworn
that it was the Indian warrior whom he
had knocked 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
tracts near by. and that she and the child
must stay within or close to the house
during his absence.
Several days afterwards Rnfus Branson
heard his dogs in the timber, down by the
river, and. knowing they never opened
without good cause, he caught up his rifle
1 tI.N,, ali.
They had struck fresh bear trail. and,
as he arrived in sight, they fairly lifted it,
going off in straight line down the river.
The chase led them several miles, and
when he at last got shot that finished
bruins career, he found that it was three
or four O'Clock in the afternoon, Swing
ing his meat to a sapling, out of the reach
of cat or wolf. he started for home to get
his horse and return and fetch it that
night.
Taking near cut, he reached 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 be
traEspiring there until he had passed
through the wood.
Thus it was that, when within short
distance of his house he heard a wild
piercing shrek; but he could not guess
that something terrible must be taking
place beyond the screen of bushes and
leaves. Uttering a loud shout that his
presence might sooner be known, Bron-
son sprang forward like wounded buck,
a great fear in his heart, for he had only
too clearly recognized in that scream the
agonized voice OF his wife.
1t took but moment for him to clear
the intervening timber and underground
and as he dashed out into the clearing,
holding his rifle ready for instant use. he
comprehended in one swift glance all that
had taken place, and what was further te
fear
Near the end of the cabin on the cliff OF
which | have spoken, stood the mother,
her face as pallid as death, her arms out
stretched, her staring eyes fixed upon the
precipitous heights up which the figure OF
the Indian was struggling.
my child! my childr' was all the wo-
man said; and Branson saw that the bum
die in the Indians arms was the form OF
their only child, Maggie.