Richland beacon., 1880-08-28

and brief examination satisfied him
that party of Indians had carried his
Marian away.
Marian Hamilton was engaged with
her household duties that same winter
afternoon, when dozen Indians ap-
peared suddenly. They Offered no vio-
lence, but Immediately began their
march through the wintry woods with
her.
After they had travelled some time,
and she comprehended where she was,
she raised her head and looked about
her. Nearly the first face that met her
gaze was that of the Usage who had slit-
fered the indignity of whipping i'll the
settlement. The Indian looked tixedly
ut her for moment and made a sign
which she understood rs token Of
friendship.
At nightfal they halted beneath
large spreading oak, where the snow
was scraped away and Il fire kindled.
They had no food, nor did they make
any attempt to procure any. They
simply sat on the ground, smoked their
pipes i'll sullen silence, occasionally ex
changing a word or two with each other
in their own tongue.
At last they stretched themselves up
on the ground, wrapped in their blank
cts, and soon slept soundly.
Marian, too excited and nervous to
sleep, lay and wondered what her father
would do when he came home and
learned what had bcfallen her. She
looked toward her savage friend, and,
when couple of weary hours had
dragged by, she saw him rise silently to
his feet, and, passing around to the op-
posite side of the oak, vanish like a
shadow.
Another hour passed wearily away,
and she began to despair again, when
she caught sight of him returning, car
rying in his arms a reculiar-looking
bundle. Stealing noiselessly to her
side, he mOtioned her to rise and take
away the blanket in which she had been
wrapped When she had obeyed him
he carefully deposited his bundle in its
place, after which he raised the blanket,
and she then saw that it contained a
mass of snow, so shaped as to resemble
human form. An idea of the Indians
stratagem now entered her mind, and
she knew that faithful friend was at
work for her.
Following his guidance, she was led
through the bushes, about hundred
yards from the fire, to an immense
fallen tree, which had yielded to some
furious storm, where the savage paused.
He pointed to spot where an upward
curve in the trunk caused it to rise some
distance clear of the snow, under which
was circular hole cut through the
drifted snow down TO the ground, in
which were deposited several blankets,
so arranged that she could repose with
in without suffering from contact with
the snow.
4. he pointed to the opening, and IL
broken English directed her to go IL
and remain there until either he or some
of his friends should come to take he
awy. She obeyed without a moment''
hesitation, and, after carefully folding
the blankets around her form, he stepped
few feet to one side, and, CAREFUL.
raising coverlet of snow-crust, place.
it over the aperture. 1t had been 81
skillfully cut that it fitted with precl
sion, and no one passing would hav'
suspected the artifice.
Bidding the girl good-by, the India1
took the back trail for the purpose @
communicating with the whites that h
knew were in pursuit, and informing tn
father of the trick which had been playe'
for the rescue Of his child
The Indian who had executed thi
clever stratagem had told his comrade
during the evening that he intended t
rise before day and pursue the sam
course in advance of them for the pun
pose of killing deer, as the party wer
in want of food. In addition TO this b
informed friend that the girl appeare
SO sick and distressed that, if she Iii
not respond to their call in the morning
he had better place her on the sma
sled which they had stolen from tn
settler, and drag her on that until the
encamped again.
When morning dawned the war part
were astir, and, the girl still lying motor
less, one Of the Indians carefully raise
what he supposed to be her body
swathed in blankets, and placed it on th
, sled. It was trihing labor for them