The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-06-19
Che 2atlaad Daily Globe.
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1873.
An Indians Revenge.

IN early times q settler by the name of Rufus
Branson, who, with his wife and only child
charming little girl of some eight or nine
years, occupied the rude cabin at the base
of precipice little back from the river
Although greatly exposed to danger-tho
Indians at that time being plentiful through.
ont the region-he managed to live quietly
for several years.
The Indians frequently visited the rude
house of the hunter, and being always wei.
coined and provided with such food as might
be in the larder, they maintained very
friendly attitude.
Especially they were fond of the child
Maggie, and more than one fierce warrior
had been seen sitting on the grass in from
of the cabin, listening to the childish prat.
tie of the little one, or else engaged in max.
ing it some toy or plaything from willow
twigs or plant bark.
In this manner several years had beer
passed, and Rufus Branson came to feel as
secure as though he was within the walls OF
q frontier fort.
One evening Branson and his wife were
seated near the doorway when suddenly q
shadow fell across the threshold, and the
next moment tall savage, whose Keeling
step and blood shot eyes told that he was
intoxicated, appeared, and staggered to tie
log.steps, and threw himself upon them.
His first demands were for "fre water,
which was of course refused on the plea
that there was none in the house.
The Indian became cross and ugly, swear
ing with terrible oaths that if the liquor was
not produced, he would murder the whole
household. Branson was brave deter.
mined man and although he dreaded the
necessity, yet he saw that he would be com.
PEELED to take prompt steps to prevent the
savage from executing his threats
Waiting until the warrior had made de.
monstration, which he soon did by attempt
ing to draw his tomahawk. Rranson sprung
upon him, knocked him down with his fist
and then quickly disarmed and bound him
where he lay After few minutes of furi.
GUS rawlings and futile efforts to free him
SELF the savage rolled over and sunk into q
drunken slumber.
He did not awake until next morning. bu
before he did so, the settler had quietly re-
moved his bonds and restored the weapons
which he laid by the sleepers side.
The savage, on awakening rose SLOWLY
to his feet, felt his wrists as though the
thongs had left feeling there, took up hi.
weapons, and without speaking word, lief
him and disappeared in the timber neal
by.
"What do you think of that?" asked the
wife turning to the husband with a scared
look.
"Pshaw Don't trouble yourself about
that drunken BRUTE" answered the settler
lightly, but as he turned away and stepped
into the yard, he muttered, "Like it! Wei
not much. The fellow must be watched.
was in hopes that he would not have re
membered, but that lump where my fist
landed, was enough, if nothing else, to re
call the circumstance.
The summer passed and they saw no NOR,
of the drunken guest. He failed to make
his appearance. But as the leaves begar
to fall, the settler, one day, while returning
from hunting on the hills, and passing
through n dense piece ofwoods, caught sight
of figure lurking in the bushes, but which
quickly disappeared when he advanced to-
ward where it was. The figure was that OF
AMI Indian warrior and Rufus Branson
would have sworn that it was the Indian
whom he had knocked down and bound the
previous summer The knowledge was no,
any way comforting, and hence he did not
tell his wife of the discovery.
1t would alarm her, without, perhaps, any
good result. He simply told her that he
had discovered bear tracks near by, ant
that she and the child must stay within oil
close to the house when he was absent.
Several days afterward Rufus Bransor
heard his dogs in the timber down by the
river, and knowing that they never opened
without good cause, he caught up his rifle
and fastened to where they were barking
They had struck fresh bear trail, and as
he arrived in sight, they fairly lifted it going
on in a straight line down the river.
The chase led him several miles, and
when, at last, he got his shot, that finished
bruins career, he found that it was three
or four o'clock in the afternoon.
Swinging his game to tree, out of reach
of cat or wolf, he started for home to get
the old gray mare and return to fetch it that
night.
Taking a near cut, he approached the
cabin from the western side, where the tim
Der grew heavy up to within few rods OF
the building, and consequently he could not
see the clearing, or what might be transpir.
ing there, until he had passed through the
wood.
Thus it was that when within but Il very
short distance of his home, he heard wild
piercing shrek; he could guess that, some
thing terrible must be taking place beyond
the screen of bushes and leaves.
Uttering loud shout, that his presence
might sooner be known. Branson sprang
forward with the leaps of wounded buck,
great fear at his heart, for he had only toe
clearly recognized in that scream, the agon-
lied voice of his wife.
1t took but moment for him to clear the
intervening timber and underground.
As he dashed out into the clearing, hold
ing his rifle ready for instant use, he COM
pretended in one swift glance all that had
taken place, and what was further to fear.
Near the end of the cabin facing the cliffs,
of which have spoken, stood the mother,
her face pallid as the dead, her arms out
stretched, and her staring eyes fixed upon
the precipitous heights, up which the figure
of an Indian warrior was struggling.
"My child my child" was all the wo-
man said, and then Rufus Branson saw that
the bundle borne in the Indians arms was
the form of their only child Maggie.
Firm of heart, and with nerves as steady
as the rocks around, the father for mo-
ment actually, Qnaied and covered under
what his quick sense told him, the deadly
peril of the little one.
Dut ne was quick 10 recover.
The Indian was drawing away; step by
step he was increasing the distance, and as
he occasionally glanced backward and down.
ward, the parent saw in his hideously paint
ed countenance the fell purpose that actua-
ted the abductor.
"God aid mel" Branson muttered, as he
raised his rifle, glanced through the sight
and touched the trigger.
The Indian started violently at the shot.
He was hit. but not badly, and with a
yell of devilish triumph, he started up
ward.
1.-TWO low by a couple of inches" said
n low calm voice at the settlers elbow.
Branson started up as though he himself
had been shot.
Where has this man come from Who
is he?
Neither had seen him approach.
But this was no time for explanations.
The stranger, man rather below than
above his ordinary height, whose fine
athletic form was fully displayed by his
closely fitting buckskin garments, stepped
uuteklu forward fav paaaa and firmly