Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-01-28

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Where the kentucky river cuts It's way
through the mountains, having upon either
bank bold, rugged cliffs batlilt their sum.
mits FIVE hundred anl @ Thousand feet, as
the case may be, above the stream. there
lived in early times a settler by the name
Of Rufus Bransou, who with bis wife and
little child, a charming young girl Of some
eight or nine years of age, occupied the
rude cabin az the base OF the Trocipicc
little back from the river.
Although greatly exposed to danger the
Indians at that time being very plentiful
throughout the region, he managed 20 live
quietly for several years.
The Indians frequently visited the rude
home of the hunter and being Away well
coined and provided with such food as was
in the larder, they maintained friendly
attitude, Especially were they fond Of the
child, Maggie, aad more than enc 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 playihing 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 moment a tall say.
age, whose reeling step aud bloodsbot eyes
told that he was intoxicated, appeared, and.
staggering to the log steps threw himself
upon them His first demad 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 a brave,
determined man, and although be 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
demonstration, which he soon did, by at
tempting to draw his tomahawk, Branson
spraug at him, knocked him down with n
blow of his fist and then quietly disarmed
and hound him where be lay. After few
moments Of furious rawlings ana mtie ei-
forts to free himself, the savage rolled over
and sunk into n drunken sleep. He did
not awake until the next morning, but be-
fore he did 80 the settler had quietly re-
stored the weapons, which he 10y 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 bis weapons, and without speaking
a word, left and disappeared in the timber
near.
"What do you think Of that ?' asked
the wife, turning to her husband with a
frightened look
Pshaw! Don't trouble your head
about the drunken brute I" answered the
settler, lightly; but as he turned away and
stepped into the yard, he muttercd,
Like it2 Wei, not much. The fol-
low must be watched. I 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. lie failed to
make bis appearance But as the leaves
began to fall, the settler one day, while re-
turning from hunting on the hills, and
passing through a dense piece Of timber
not far from the house, caught sight Of a
figure lurking in the bushes, aud 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 aud bound the previous
spring. The news was otin any way COM
forting, 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 that he had seen
bear tracks near by, and that she and the
child must stay within or close to the house
during 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
and hastened to where they were barking.
They had struck fresh bear trail, and, as
he arrived in sight, they fairly lifted it,
going off in a straight line down the river.
The chase led him several miles aud
when he at last got o shot that finished
bruins career, he found that it was three
or four O'Clock in the afternoon. Swinging
his meat to a sapling, out Of reach Of cat
or wolf, he started for homo to get his
horse aud return uaud fetch it that night
Taking near cut, he approached the
cabbu from the western side, where the
timber grew heavy up to within few yards
Of the building aud consequently he could
not see the clearing or what might be
transpirug there, until he had passed
through the wood
Thus it was that when within short
distance of his house, he heard wild, pierre
ing shrek but he could only guess that
something terrible must have taken place
beyond the screen Of bushes aud leaves
Uttering loud shout that his presence
might sooner be known, Branson sprang
forward like a wounded buck, great fear
at his heart, for he had only too clearly re.
/ cognzed in that scream the agonized voice
Of his wife.
1t took but moment for him to clear
the intervening timber and underground
and as no dashed out into tho clearing
holding bis rife ready for instant use, he
comprohendcd in Que swift glance all that
had taken place, and what was further to fear
Near the end Of the cabin, facing the
cliff, which have spoken Of stood the
mother, her face as paliid as death, her
arms outstretched, her staring eyes fixed
upon the precipitous hight up which the dg'
ure Of an Indian was struggling.
, "My child my child % was all the
woman said, and Branson saw that the bun
die in the Indians arms was tho form OIL
their only child, Maggie.
Firm of heart, aud with nerves as
: steady as the rocks around, the father for q
| moment quailed and covered under, what
his quick senses told him, the deadly peri
+ Of the little one. But he was quick to re-
u oouar