The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-03-28
A Brave Boy.

name of Elkanah Flint moved with his
family from one of the New England
States to Hennepin county, Mimi, and
took up land under the Homestead law.
Being unable, for some reason, to OBJ
tain clear title to his land, he moved
again and settled on the st. Louis river,
about thirty-five miles northwest of Du-
luth. It was while at Duluth that the
writer was told the following story:
Flint's family consisted, beside his
rv1fe and himself, Of three children,
whose names were Jason, boy OF 10,
daughter, Abigail, two years younger,
and little girl but 8 yeals old, whose
name, / think, was Flora.
Their first clearing was made on fer
tile wooded interval, on the right bank
of the river. About 100 rods back from
the stream stood their house, built of
cottonwood logs.
1t was u wet season. and their location
proved to be a damp one. From this
cause. very likely, Mrs. Flint and her
little girl sickened from colds, and both
died of pneumonia. The death OF the
child occurred two days after the death
of the mother.
All the care of the household thus fell
upon Abby Flint, now in her 14th year,
and who seems to have been very ca
pable girl. Her brother Jason was of q
different stamp, and rendered his father
but little help. He was attracted by
nothing but hunting and scouting. Often
he brought home deer, or quarter of
moose, but it was with the greatest re-
Iuctance that he set himself to blowing
or planting.
To trap along the upper course Of the
river was far more to Jason's liking than
telling trees.
He was very adroit in trading with the
Indians, parties of whom often came to
the settlers house. So sharp, indeed,
were his bargains in furs with them that
they had, within year, bestowed upon
him the nickname "Tarouch- Ia gippoo,"
which I should translate literally as
"Young Skinfint."
It was not very long afterward that
the memorable troubles with the Sioux
began, marked by those horrible massa-
cres of the settlers in the back counties
of iowa and Minnesota.
During the first days of June of the
year of our story, Mr.. Flint set off in
his dug out " boat for the then small
village of Duluth, to procure some farm
ing implements. He ordered Jason to
remain close at home, and set him to
hoeing in small field of potatoes on
piece Of ground recently cleared and
burned over.
But Jason, whose mind was intent on
Indians, believed it necessary to make
scouting tour across the country to
neighboring settlement. This trip &C.
cupied the first day of his fathers ab-
sence.
The next morning he get to work on
the potato patch-all the more diligently
because Mr.. Flint was expected home
that night as was not very un-
common with him, he coaxed his sister
Abby to leave her work In the house and
help him.
Sprouts from the roots and stTlmps of
the lately-felled trees had come up
plentifully among the potatoes. Abby
went ahead with a bush-hook, or BUSH
bill, and cut up the sprouts, while ia
son followed and hilled up the potatoes
with o hoe.
But his eyes roved about good deal
as his hoed, and for once, at least, those
sharp, wandering eyes OF his did him
good service. CHANGING to look forward
to the end of the row, where the forest
bordered the clearing, he saw an Indian
in the act of stealing forward from be-
hind the trunk of great maple to a
blackened pine-stub, which had been
burned out hollow by the recent fires,
and which stood in the outskirts of the
potatoes.
Boy though he was, Jase was at no
loss to understand the movement of the
savage. He knew that he was only
waiting there for his sister and himself
to approach nearer, when he would
probably shoot him and endeavor to take
his sister prisoner.
The distance to the pine stub WAS
eighteen or twenty rods-too far for the
redskins gun to shoot with certainty.
Dropping his eyes, Jase hoed on with
apparent carelessness.
Abby had not seen the Indian, and he
dared not even whisper a warning to her
lest she should take fright, and thus
bring the savage at once upon them
Jase's own gun, though loaded, was at
the house, which was out OF sight be-
hind the bushes.
With great presence of mind, Jase
said to his sister:
Don't hurry SO, Abb. It's too warm
to hurry. Tn going to fetch ont some
WATER And, setting down his hoe, he
strolled leisurely across the piece, whist
ling as he went, half-expecting at every
step to feel bullet
Getting among the bushes. he ran to
the house, and caught down his gun and
powder-horn, with the intention of max
ing circuit through the woods and
coming round in the rear of the savage,
who, lie thought, would be intent watch
ing his sister.
Bat the leathern pouch which held
his stock of bullets was gone from the
peg. In doing her work that morning
Abby had herself knocked it OFF, and it
had fallen down through an opening in
the floor.
In breathless haste Jason searched the
room over and over, but could not find
the pouch. Knowing there was not a
moment to lose he set off with but the
single charge In his gun.
He had but just got out of the door
when he heard Abby scream. Then there
followed smothered sound, and then he
heard her try to call his name.
Even then the boys presence of mind
did not desert him. He knew that if the
savage were alone his sisters sole chance
of life lay In the Indians not discover
ing that he was pursued.
He ran TO the edge of the bushes that
skirted the potatoes and looked out. The
redskin was dragging Abby after him by
her wrists, and was just entering the
woods on the farther side going out
toward the river.
From this Jase concluded that the In
dian had come down the stream in
canoe, which he had probably left not
far off. IF the savage should regain his
canoe, Jason's only chance would be to
shoot him from the bank. This he re-
solved to attempt
Not much more than a mile above the
clearing the river makes great bend,