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

of the Sascatchawan-the North Branch
and | speedily found myself travelling
in north west direction, we'll supplied
with the simple necessares for a six
months absence in that wild region.
had provided myself with monstrous
Kentucky rifle, which in itself WAS a
heavy load, but which | valued highly on
account of its accuracy and long range.
My companion in this expedition was all
old trapper, with whom had becomein-
innate at a trading post He had taken
a fancy to me at shooting match where
in had won the enviable reputation OF
1.-The crack Shot This was no mean dis
tinction in place where eight out of ten
bullets were always put into 'bull's
eye" of about one and half inches in
diameter, at a distance of about 50 yards.
This excellence as ritle-man stood me
in good stead, as the sequel will show.
My companion was tall, raw boned,
heavy shouldered man. whose nationality
would have puzzled a physiognomist, as
nothing of his face could be seen but q
very large Roman nose, pair of piercing
grey eyes, and an unlimited quantity Of
griZzled beard He said little of himself,
except that he had 'trapped and hunt
ed off and on for he didn't know how long
in them parts" and ''kalkellated as how
some un 'ud find his old grzZled karkis
out there some bright day, for he couldn't
abide the settlements now" As for my
self, was young man of ordinary vsri
ETY., about 25 years Of age, and Cana
dian by birth | had spent some five
years in the Hudson's Bay territory, and
was on my way southWard and home
ward when formed the idea Of joining
Bill Marston in his winters hunt.
Marston's reputation as Il keen and
wary hunter stood high among the rough
band of which he had long been Il Yuust
member, and it was admitted that he
could draw quicker and truer ''bead'
than any man thereabouts. He never
hunted in company with others OF his
class, and came and Went-no one knew
whence or whittier; and the surprise was
great when | was seen stepping into his
old "dugout" and taking a hand in the
management Of that rather ticklish craft.
even heard another griZzled, buck
skinned old trapper say that he had pro
posed accompanying my companion, but
he had repulsed hlmin pretty short terms
''and now" said the indignant one, spit
ting out a huge flood of tobacco juice,
"he's tuck that young 'un instead to keep
him in perpetooal hot water" Marston
might have heard this, as did but he
took no notice of it, whatever; and l. a
little taken down, was glad when he gave
the "dugout" strong push Oft shore
and sprang in with surprising agility tol
a man of his age-Which | afterwards
learned was over fifty.
We were about three weeks in reach
ing MarstOn's camp-tar, far from any
human habitatlon, except the occasional
wigwam of some Indian hunter engaged
like ourselves. Part Of the way we sailed
along III our dugout between the beaut-
fully tinted and ever varying tree clad
banks of the river, pushing along by day
as rapidly as possible, against the strong
current, and carefully drawing up our
canoe under some Overhanging tree, pass
ing the night enveloped in our warm
blankets.
At the end of two weeks we arrived at
fork of the river, where we left oul
canoe-c0ncealing it in the shadow of an
old bnttonWOod log, which Marston had
used for this purpose for many years.
He told me there was considerable fall a
short distance above the forks, over which
we could not got canoe; so we shoul-
dered our packs and made the rest Of our
journey on foot.
On the fourth day of our march Mars
tons keen eye detected "Indian signs
here and there along our route, and while
he seemed to feel annoyed at being 'med-
died with" and perhaps his trap stolen,
it did not greatly affect me, as knew that
all the tribes of British Indians We're on
friendly terms with the company and the
hunters.
At length we reached ''the lodge" as
Marston invariably called his hut, with
out seeing anything more of the Indians,
and my hosts temper was visibly i'm
proved when he found everything was
exactly as he had left it two months be
fore. lie at once commenced initiating
me into the art and mystery Of making
up and setting traps for mink, beaver and
otter, with which the river and adjacent
meadows seemed to be alive, and in a
teacher, though perhaps less expedi-
tiously.
One morning, after we had been thus
occupied about three weeks, and had
taken and cured a large number of fine
skins, Marston got up and went out very
early, saying he would visit some distant
otter traps which had been set long
time. | remained in camp several hours.
but finally, after paying visit to all the
other traps in our neighborhood-reset
ting those that had been sprung-I took
my rifle and went in search of game tc
supply our larder. This usually fell tc
my lot, and it was by no means labori-
GUS occupation, as deer were plenty and
tame, while partridge and geese flew UP
at almost every step.
| had been out about an hour, and
bagged several fine birds, and was intent
ly looking up into a giant old pine for
one of covey had just flushed, when
the distant report of a rifle broke the still
ness of the mid-foreSt air. 1t seemed tC
me as if there were two reports almost
simultaneous; but just as | came to the
conclusion that it must have been merely
oliC OCIo vi Midi SJUll gun, uuo luOuSlll
suddenly struck me that he had that
morning left his rifle at the lodge, as he
expected to be laden with peltries on
his return, and the rifle would make the
journey rather irksome. No sooner had
this flashed through my mind than | felt
sure that some of the wandering Indians,
who perhaps knew of Marston's solitary
habits, had attempted TO murder him for
his peltries and traps.
Leaving the partridge undiscovered, |
hastily turned in the direction of the
camp. Among the first things that
caught my eye on reaching it was a small
minkskin hanging from the pegs where
my gun usually hung, and on looking at
the inside of this | read the following
words rudely scrawled thereon with the
point of a bullet:
Injuns air round. I've been hit Keep
dark. Foller round by Otter Bluff"