The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-11-25
,ouse. I done seen him dis minute.

ly for his rifle.
at is a real turkey said he "and he $
somewhere in the hollow"
The hollow was made by depression
of the ground about fifty yards from the
house front and running parallel with it,.
Upon its further side was decayed
stump some four or five feet high, stand
ing below the sloping banks, and with
its top just visible from the house. OF
this stump the portion next to the slope
had so fallen away as to leave large
cavity, capable of containing a man.
The gobble indicated the turkeys
whereabouts pretty definitely.
"He's somewhere near that stump,
said Arthur, perhaps inside of it, sit
ting up on the rotten wood toward the
top. I'm afraid he'll get high enough to
see me. But I'll make a circuit and
creep around where the ground islower. "
lie went out at the back door,so as to
make sure of not being seen. The land
on our right, few rods from the house
was very low, the descent stretching off
in crescent shape until it reached the
gully, which crossed it at fair rifie-shot
distance from the stump.
Arthur, young as he was, had already
become an excellent marksman, having
for two years possessed rifle of his own,
which father bought him, and which was
almost always in his hands We had no
doubt that, with anything like an ordi-
nary chance, he would put a ball
through the turkeys head, and return in
triumph.
But somehow. after he went out. a
sudden thought seemed to strike mother
Wasn't it strange that turkey should
come so far out of the woods, and keep
up such gobbling in the hollow? No,
not strange, perhaps, nor very unusual ;
and she wondered at her own uneasness
| But her nerves had been shaken by poor
Jason's incident
The house had a half-stsry in front,
with two small windows above the
ground-rooms, and mothers feelings i'm.
PEELED her to run up there for better
view. She wished to see where father
was, and, perhaps might discover some
thing of the wild turkey.
| was close at her side. We saw father
with his rifle away off across the fields,
and the negroes at distance from him
engaged in their work. The stump,too,
was visible nearly to its foot and at in
tervals, we caught sight of Arthur care
fully working his way in half cir
cult toward the gully.
Father had evidently heard the turkey,
and was wari}y approaching the spot
where it seemed to be- His half stoop-
ing posture showed that he feared the
bird might get upon the stump and see
him.
Suddenly mother started, and her face
had n look of ghastly terror. Some
thing which certainly was no turkey
rose little above the stump, between
its shattered rim and the grass of the
bank. saw it, too, and my blood ran
| cold
1t was something that greatly resem
bled the head of an Indian. We felt
that the face must be peering through
the grass toward my father, while we saw
the black, cleaning hair behind.
Without doubt it was Seminole war
rior in ambush, watching fathers ap-
proach.
Mother gave an agonized cry "What
shall | do! oh what shall | do 2 she
exclaimed
Would not any signal or outcry she
could make be misunderstood at such a
distance. and only hasten the catastrophe
since father was still thirty rods beyond
the Indian, and eighty from the house
Then where was Arthur, who had now
disappeared And should she by a
sudden alarm cause him to show himself
might not the Seminole rise up and
shoot him on the spot? She was dizzy
with her sense of the dreadful situa-
ton.
But in a moment I called out to her,
'There's Arthur, mother! there's Ar
thur for | saw him among the rank
grass, lying fiat upon the ground, within
good rifleshot of the stump, which he
seemed to be watching intently.
Once again the Indians head was
shown slightly, and we got an instant's
glimpse of Arthur's rifle. But the black
hair disappeared, and the weapon was
lowered.
Father was now so near the scene of
danger that we had no alternative but to
watch. Terrible as was her anxiety,
mother now felt that Arthur had discov-
cred what kind of game the old stump
contained. She knew that the Indian
could not fire at father without exposing
his own head, and that the moment it
appeared it would be covered by her
brave boys rifle.
How our hearts beat for the few mo
ments that intcrvened. Another COB
Bile came from the stump. Father was
working his way stealthily toward it in
anticipation of prize, and Arthur lay
rs still as death in the grass.
All at once we saw the sunlight glance
upon a mass of long raven hair that rose
slowly above the gnarled wood which
had hidden it. Father was within ten
rods of the spot. 1t was dreadful mo-
ment.
Our eyes turned to Arthur, The grass
in front of the slight knoll where he lay
was not high enough to interfere with
his aim as his elbow rested on the ground.
We could see him drop his young face
against the breech of his gun. The bar
rel cleaned for a single instant,a puff of
smoke streamed from the muzzle, and he
leaped to his feet
But there was still more sudden leap
from the old stump, for an Indian, with
flying hair and with his rifle still clutch
ed in his hand, sprang up and fell dead
against the slope which had concealed
him from fathers view.
The reunion which followed, when we
all ran into each others arms, joyful, yet
thrilled with CONSERVATION, | will not
dwell upon.
We found the dead enemy to be a tall
young warrior, hideously painted, and
having in his belt hatchet and knife
| lie had no doubt entered the gully
from the swamp, and seeing father at Z
distance had attempted to decoy him
within gunshot by initiating a wild tur
key.
irha occasion nrOvp1 IN ha tha onl,