St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-15

days after deer.
oval, one day we'd had prime luck,
and was coming home with a big fat
buck, when we see a camp in the
woods sort of desertedlike, brands
a-smOkin' and ashes round, and come
up higher there lay an Indian with his
eyes shet-lOOking as if he was most
dead. Come to, we found he'd been
luck, and was reely most starved to
death.
oval, Zeke was reel goOd-hearted
fellow, and he lit up the fire and made
IA little deer-meat broth, and fed him
up sort o. gradual, like he'd ben baby,
till he opened his eyes and began to
look round him. And then he cooked
a tender bit O. steak, and fed him till
he got him so he could set up and eat
hearty. And Zeke he understood the
Indian lingo and the Indian he told
him how long he'd been out and hadn't
had no luck. And Zeke, he was one
of your ee-hearted fellows, he just
chopped that buck right in two and
gave the Indian half of it to take home
to his folks.
"The Indians name was SquantO !;
he was a Young fellow, and it was reely
wonderful how soon Zeke got him on
his feet ag'in-nussin' on linn up, and
feedin' on him with the best, so that
he could shoulder his half of the buck
and walk off with it.
oval, Zeke didn't think much O.
what he'd done, it come kind o. natu-
raj to him to do a good turn wherever
he see it was wanted, and he never
'spected to hear ont again but ye
see, boys, he did, and this was the way
ont.
at was as much as three years arter.
Zeke thought he'd go down to Bruins
wick to see his brothers folks that live
there in the deestrict. And so he put
his gun on his shoulder and thought
he'd Just hunt and fish along, and take
it easy through the woods. Wal, yOu
see Zeke he'd been stayin' down in
Massachusetts, and hadn't heard that
there was IA war broke out among the
PenobscOt Indians ag'in the white
folks, but there was.
''If Zeke had known it, he never
would although q trampin' through
them woods alone. But you see he
didn't, and so at night he built his fire
and cooked his supper, and lay down
to sleep with his feet to the fire and
never mistrusted.
oval, Jest about day-dawn he was
woke by somebody gripping tight hold
of him, and looked up and see three
Indians in their war-paint had got him.
"There warn't no use tryin' to fight +;
they'd got his gun, and they was three
to one and looked like three devils at
that,-with their red and black paint
and their bears claws and wolves teeth
and rattlesnake tails. You see when
Indians is on what they call the war
path, they fix up with every frightful
thing they can think of; so it's enough
to scare body to death jest to look at
| EN-.
"Zeke he told me that his heart died
within him when he saw the critters
for Zeke knew what they was up to
| He see that they was on the war-path
and that they'd got him prisoner, and
he knew what they did with their pris-
Oners."
"What did they ?" said we boys.
oval, stuck 'em full of pine silver:
and set 'em atire, for one thing" said
Sam. "Zeke knew all about that, anC
| tl int CIlilcIS liuH bihcH HIS Sul
away, he'd rather have shot himself
through the head than run the risk O
what they was goin' to do with them
oval, they started off with hin
through the woods but as they was
walkin' he felt sure one of 'em wa'
Squanto, the very Indian he'd nusse(
and helped two years ago. To be sur'
he was all painted and toggled up will
feathers and claws and what not, bu
for all that Zeke knew him, he hadn'
ben round him nussin' and feedin' OF
him for nOthin'.
$50 Zeke he spoke to him in hi
language but the critter never an
swered a word, but looked silent ahea'
as if he didn't hear him.
"FOr all that, the more Zeke looked
the more sure he was that it was tn
very Indian whose life he had saved
But the fellow was as hard and cold IA
il marble grave-stOne, and wouldn'
even turn his head or look when h.
spoke to him. Zeke said he felt prett
bitter and said Il good many har
things to himself about Squanto-whe
he remembered all he did for him whe
he found him starving to death in tn
woods.
oval, come night they camped dow
in the woOds-they'd tramped goo
ways and Zeke felt tired and hungry
They gave him some of their supper
he said he hadn't much heart to ea
+ but he jest eat to keep up his strength
cause he was looking ont for a chanc
to give 'em the slip in the night.
"But they looked out for that, fo
2 when they got ready to lie down the
Just staked him down and tied eac
. hand with strong cord to a stake dri'
: in the ground, and each foot the sam
I way so that he couldn't move or tur
! or help himself, and then they pr
more wood on the fire and lay down
| sleep.
"Wal, Zeke didn't sleep, you bette
p believe. He told me that are was til
awfullest time ever he saw. 1t warn
only himself he was thinkin' of, bu
: Zeke had got married to Almiry Jont
: only two years before, and he had Oh
q child, baby only six months old, an
he said the tears run over his cheel
# when he thought about them, and
, hoped that eff the critters did tormel
4 him to death, Almiry never would he;
: how he died. Zeke warn't a churcl
member, but he said he lay and prayt
= and prayed and prayed, harder tha
# ever he did in his life before, that Il
ir good Lord would help him. And tt
q Lord heard him, boys.
n ''Some folks seem to think the LOl
Y don't hear nobody but church-mer
ie bers, but you just read the hundre
and-seventh psalm and it tells how Il
% Lord helps sailors and folks that ha
= been dOin' all sorts of bad things, wh'
RS they get into trouble and cry to Hi
" You jest read it, boys.
re oval, Zeke lay cryin', and prayil
=. tears rnllin' down his cheeks. while {