River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-23

OF knowing. All knew was that no
welcome beams of the wished-for sun
vet tinted even the heecy clouds high
above in the starry sky, and that till
then must keep my wearlsome watch.
was trying to imagine where Marston
then was, and whether he was more
successful in his vigil than myself,
when the sound of a,breaking twig star
tied the Stiffness of the night. and the
next instant the loud whirr of toma-
hawk sounded close 10 my ear. was
on my feet in an instant, but before l
could bring my rifle to bear in the
right direction, was seized in the arms
of a powerful savage and dashed to the
earth, the rifle going off as fell. We
fell together, my antagonist uppermost,
and half stunned beneath. | strug-
gled with all my strength to throw him
from me, but | might as well have tried
to move mountain. My right hand
was prisoner. caught by the sleeve of
my hunting shirt, together witt the
bosom of that too unyielding garment.
In our fall we had cleared the clump
of faithless trees, which believed had
so securely concealed me, and in his
OSSlC W 1Olu u1G dOh anu W lCdCn
the weapon he had thrown at my head,
we had gradually approached the slope
leading to the water; and, just as his
hand had secured the handle of the
Ratchet, and |, closing my eyes, was ex-
pecting the crushing blow, the sharp
crack of n rifle broke upon my over
strained ears, and | felt my arm freed
from the vice-like grasp of my enemy.
Opening my eyes, expecting my assail-
ant to fall dead at my side flor knew
it must be Marston who fired) | saw to
my horror that he was uniniured, but
| saw also that no was startled by the
discharge. Quick as thought threw
all my strength into one last despairing
effort, and, all unprepared, the savage
was soon struggling beside me on
the dewy sward. AS we rolled
swiftly down the slope, | seized
my knife and buried it to the hilt in his
side again and again. Almost with his
last expiring groan, however, he lifted
me in his arms and plur ged into the
rolling stream. My head must have
struck upon a projecting rock Tor it
seemed to be cleft in twain; the bright
stats danced before my closed eyes;
the yielding waves closed over us, he
above and / below, and-I remember
ed no more.
When l awoke to consciousness. the
morning sun was shining brightly, and
Marston was pouring cold water over
my head and chest from his cap.
When | was able to sit up he told me
that he had shot the wounded Indian,
who had plf ced himself in position
similar to my own on the opposite
bank, and for similar purDose-to
shoot us down did we incautiously APP
proach the old camp or the fire. The
other savage, whose gigantic body lay
jammed between two rocks In the
stream, with woodcraft equal to my
friends, had cautiously crept around to
my position, with the result have de-
tailed. Marston found me in the water
and supposed me dead; but, on exam
nation, he found that life had not quite
fed, and, tanning the feeble spark, again
enk1ndled the expiring flame.
While Marston prepared breakfast,
he related his adventures in the earlier
portion IF the preceding day. He dis
covered the Indian encampment about
three miles from our own, and while
endeavoring to spy out their numbers,
had been fired upon and wounded by
prowler. Throwing himself on the
savage, ne stunned him with blow
from the butt of his rifle, and escaped
to the camp. Here he had taken the
precauti ons to deceive the Indians and
to warn me with which the reader has
already been made acquainted. He was
however speedily pursued by
the whole band of sayages
and, after hard struggle, cap
tured. 1t was during this pursuit of
Marsten that arrived at the camp, and
my having taken the river course, and
their ignorance of even my existence,
was the reason of my being enabled to
gain the bluff unperceived. The Indi-
ans proved to be the Blackfeet, and
were no doubt on plundering expedi-
ton, as their packs were filled with
many articles which belong to whites
alone. We of course appropriated their
horses and traps, and, having unearthed
our concealed peltries, set off for Fort
George, where we arrived without fur
Their adventure.
had seen enough of trapper's life,
and though the laurels Marston heaped
upon my brow caused a change of
feeling on the part of his rough friends
in my favor-so much so that they de-
clared that | would, in time, unGoubt-
eddy become terror to both ''beaver
and Injun," determined that the last
Indian to fall by my hands had fallen,
and that in future 1 would confine my
self to my legitimate weapon, the pen,
and have kept my word.
From one of Marston's trips he never
returned, and the rough spirits around
the old fort gave it as their opinion that
my old friends prophecy regarding his
death had proved true, or, as they said
in their peculiar vernacular, "The blast
ed red skins had snuGed him out at
last"