The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-02-10

LILO SplIHl IICNl lily NOISG
and hastily turned to obey the injunc-
tions of my wounded friend, when | be-
thought me that | had better conceal
some Of my effects and secrete the most
valuable of the peltries. imagine my
surprise when | found most of the furs
gone, as we'll as every article of mine,
or indeed anything that would betray the
fact that two men lived in the camp. |
did not quite comprehend this manHuver
| Till some time afterwards. then quietly
craWled through the woods to the collec-
ton of rocks that my friend, for some
| tancitul reason Of his own, had chosen to
cali the Otter Bluff,
1t was late in the day when | arrived
at the bluff, and mounting wearily to the
| top looked around for Marston, but he
was nowhere to be seen. Fearing he
had tainted from loss of blood, made a
careful though cautious search among
the crags and ravines where a man might
possibly have dragged himself But |
could see no signs OF him, and concluded
that, through weakness, he had not been
able to get there as soon as had, so |
sat myself down in a little thicket Of
| Young cedars that crowned one of the
peaks, where | could see without being
seen myself, to await his coming. Here
| crouched till dark. and still no signs Of
my comrade. Tormenting doubts now
beset my mind, and | began to fear that
Marston had either been captured in his
retreat to the bluff, or that he had been
unable to reach it from loss of blood |
even pictured him lying among the ma
pie leaves, stained with Il deeper than
Their own dye. pershing from thirst and
| famtneSs.
While debating what course to pursue,
perceived bright light some mile or
more off could scarcely say how far it
: might be in the gathering darkness; but
as no attempt at cOncealment was made,
| | concluded it proceeded either from Mar
ston. who had Outwitted his enemies, OF
| from those enemies themselves, who in
| that event. thought, must have cap
tured or killed my poor friend, in spite Of
his keen W0Odcratt, as otherwise they
would be too wary thus to draw on them
selves the vengeance of the wounded
trapper. | Immediately descended from
my perch and cautiously crept along the
shaded edge of the river, keeping well
under the overhanging branches of the
bordering cedars. In this way | must
have crept forward for full hour, and
still the fire seemed far away. AS
stopped at bend in the river, on the far
side OF which the fire burned with in
creased fury, a large owl flew from his
perch in an overhanging tree, and silent
| lN betOok himself to Il safer distance from
his natural enemy. AS the ill-omened
bird spread his soft, noiseless wings to
the night air, | bCthought me that, if
Marston were near | could communicate
my presence to him by initiating its cry,
which | had often repeated i'll the hut
when we lay listening to the awakened
chorus outside. Placing my hand over
my mouth. | emitted three or four of
those WEIRD dismal cries, which were re-
echoed by the sCmber wood until the far
river bend returned its ghostly answer
Hastily looking to my rifle, and assur-
ing myself that the priming was all right,
| hurried on silently and steathily until
within an eighth of mile Of the light.
when parted the branches, behind whose
shade | had cautiously advanced, and
looked in the direction Of the blaze. | be
held sight that sent the blood cold and
chill back on my heart. Before me, on
the grassy plot in front OF our hut. were
seated three braWny SaNageS. naked and
painted with black and vermilion stripes,
while others, in similar ''costume' were
dancing around a young birch tree to
which was bound, hand and foot, poor
Bill MarSton,
waited to hear no more. Iiurrying
| forward as rapidly as possible from the
nature Of the ground and my desire to
remain unseen, | soon came to the thick
| growth of trees in the midst Of which our
hut had been built. There was, OF course,
no hut how. Everything had been de-
stroyed that would have been useless to
Our savage foes: the rest, most likely,
| lying in full view Of their miserable own
er On my hands and knees forced my
way silently through the thick underwood
until within 10 yards of the hostile circle.
| ThismOyement had, of course, taken some
time-for to break a tWg or stir a leaf
would have insured my destructon-and
when | again parted the branches before
me found the two indians busily piling
around their prisoner materials for a fire
WhereWith to roast him. | plainly saw
that prompt action alone would save
Marston, who was cursing the '.blasted,
sneaking, coWardly, red -sRined heathen, y
with every variety Of oath known to the
| traternity-and there are some strange
ones.
The three savages who looked on were
sitting upon a log half buried in the mos
sy earth, and the idea struck me that, as
my rifle threw a bullet with great force, |
/ could get at them at one Shot, or at all
events Kill one and perhaps severely wound
the other two | therefore crept silently
back and considerably further to the right,
where much to my qualification found |
could draw bead on their three heads in
a line.
just got into my new position, and
was pushing my rifle before me over a
log which intended making a rest, when
| saw a new light spring up at the pile,
around my doomed friend. At the same
time the most distant Of the three savages
arose, and in another moment would
doubtless have joined the yelling tiends
around the fire; but, with quick glance
along the barrel Of my trusty rifle, | sent
the bulletltorth on its errand of death. The
two painted serpents on the log fell back
wards, and the other sprang into the air,
with howl OF pain. With a maniacal
yell strategically followed by Marston-
| rushed forward and leveled one Of the
two hideous imps dancing around the fire,
who were taken too much by surprise to
know whether the attack was made by
one or a score. The other, with his
wounded comrade, fled attrighted into the
woods, While scattered the burning pile
and cut the bonds of my friend. No
sooner was he free than he bounded to the
log behind which my two victims lay 81
lent in death, and, selling their rifles,
dashed into the dark shadows of the for
est, shouting to me to follow him. In a
few minutes we were far beyond the
betraying light of the scattered fire, when
suddenly stopping his swift though silent
advance Marston caught my arm, and he