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

FdllOH III the lulCk ceudlS, poOIeu through
a tangled bush in my front for signs of
life on the opposite bank.
The fire had not yet died out, and the
red light from the stream in front lighted
up the opposite shore with weird radi
ance, which, with my excited brain, kept
me fully awake catching the huge shad-
ows that chased each other along the
margin of the sombre woods. The min
utes seemed hours to me, as thus lay in
wait, and as the night air curbed my
bounding pulses found myself wondering
at the nonchalance with which regarded
my then present occupation and the still
visible bodies Of the slain slain, too, by
my own hand
How long lay there had no means of
knowing All knew was that no vel
tinted even the tleecy clouds high above
in the starry sky, and that till then |
must keep my WearisOme watch | was
trying to image where Marston then was
and whether he was more successful in
his vigil than myself when the sound of a
breaking tWig startled the stiffness of the
night, and the next instant a loud whirr
Of tomahaWk sounded close to my ear
| was on my feet in an instant; but
before | could bring my rifle to bear in
the right direction | was seized in the
| arms OF powerful savage and dashed to
the earth. the rifle going off as fell. We
fell together, my antagonist uppermost,
and | half stunned beneath. | struggled
with all my strength to throw him from
me, but might as we'll have tried to re-
move a mountain. My right hand was Il
prisoner, caught by the sleeve of my
hunting shirt, together with the bosom of
that too unyielding garment. In our fall
we had cleared the clump Of faithless trees,
which believed had concealed me, and
in his struggle to hold Inc down and to
reach 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 tie handle Of the
hatchet and |, closing my eyes, was eX-
pecting the crushing blow, the crack of a
rifle broke upon my overStraiued ears.
and felt my arm freed from the vice like
grasp Of my enemy. Opening my eyes,
expecting my assailant to fall dead at my
side, for knew it must have been Mars
ton who fired, | saw to my horror that he
was unniured, but saw also that he 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 plunged me into the rolling stream
! My head must have struck upon pro-
iecting rock, for it seemed to be cleft in
twain. the bright stars danced before my
closed eyes; the yielding waves closed
over us, he above and | below, and-l
remember no more.
When | aW0ke 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 placed
| himself in 4 position similar to my own on
| the opposite bank, and for a similar pur-
pose-to shoot us down did we incau-
tiously approach the old camp or the fire
The other savage, whose gigantic body
lay jammed between two rocks in the
stream, with woodcratt equal to my
friends, had cautiously crept around tc
my position, with the result | have de
| tailed. Marston found me in the water
and supposed me dead but on eNamina-
ton he found tnat life had not quite fled
and, tanning the feeble spark, again
enkindled the expiring flames.
| While MaIston prepared breakfast, he
| related his adventures in the earlier por-
| ton OF the preceding day. He discovered
| the Indian encampment about three miles
| from our own. and, while cndeavoring tc
| spy out their numbers, had been fired
upon and wounded 10y a proWlcr. Throw
| inc himself Oh the savage, he stunned him
with 4 blow from the but Of his rifle, and
escaped to the camp. Here he had taken
| the precaution 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 sayagcs, and after a hard struggle
captured 1t was during this pursuit OF
Marston that | arrived at the camp, anG
my having taken the river course, anC
their entire ignorance of even my exist
ence, was the reason of my being able tC
| gain the Bluff tfunpreceiyed The Indians
| proved to be BlaCllteet, and were no doubt
on plundering expedition, as their packs
were filled with many articles which be
long to whites alone. We of course APP
propriated their horses and traps, and
having unearthed our concealed peltries
set off for Fort George, where we arrived
without further adventure.
] have seen enough of trapper's life
and though the laurels Marston hcdped
on my brow caused change Of feeling OF
! the part of his rough friends in my favor
so much so that they declared that
would, in time, undoubtedly become the
terror to both "beaver and Injun,' de
termined that the last Indian to tall by my
hands had fallen, and Ihat in the future
would contine myself 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 nay
old friends prophecy regarding his death
had proved true, or as they said in theil
peculiar vernacular, "The blasted red
skins had snutfed him out at last"
Clippings.