Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1891-02-26


like to know if the redskins are follow
ing us yet"
there's tree; but none of us are
in good condition for climbing" re-
marked Eph.
"Jabe," said his wife, ''don't you re-
member how l used to climb apple-trees
when was a girl? If youll help me a
little can get up thore." Jabe laughed
but finally consented to holp her up into
the lowor branches, from whence the
( active little woman climbed up higher.
''Jabe, it seems rs If some one has
I been up here not long since. There's
marks wAlere the branches are broken.
and-and- I've found piece OF
cloth on twig."
'The barge must have brought him,
| them" said Jabe; ''but where can he
be?"
'Her' responded Eph; ''You mean
they. Don't you see there's SIX oars in
the boat? And they're all Frenchmen,
too,' he added, referring to- the crew,
not the oars.
Isabel Jabe!' cried Nellie, excitedly,
81 see men on an island about half
mile away. They're walking up and
down the shore as if they were looking
for something"
'Do you see any boats?" asked Eph.
mo"
This is their barge, and its drifted
away from them" argued Eph, logically,
''and if so they're in bad way. What
do they look like?"
81 think they're Frenchmen. There's
one large man that wears sword and
appears to give ORDERS"
'sStrange that French soldiers should
come to such place" said Jabe.
81 see something else!" cried Nellie,
more excitedly than before.
'What is it?" asked her husband
81 see another island with four people
on it, and they are watching the others.
One looks like squaw and the other
-like-oh, Jabe! But can't tell.
Their backs are turned this way"
81 wish l could get up there" growled
Jabe, and then, restraining his impa-
thence, he added: ''And do the others
look like Frenchmen, too?"
"Oh, no! They look ike-Jabe! Jabe!
here come the Indians! They've come
around the point of an island, and
they're going straight toward the
Frenchmen, who don't appear to see
them"
'sThen we'll have to look out" said
Eph; ''for they'll unite forces and come
in search of the barge. We'd better get
away from this place at once" A volley
of rifles followed the last remark.
"They're firing on the Frenchmen,"
cried Nellie, 'but 1 can't see through
the smoke. 1t rises now and the savages
are striking at them with knives and
tomahawks. Two of the men jumped in
the river. An Indian fires at them and
one sinks. Oh, Jabe! it's dreadful
sight!"
''Be careful, Nellie, that you don't
fall" said her husband, anxiously.
sits all over" continued Nellie. "Most
4 of the men were killed at the first fire,
and the rest didn't make any resistance.
Now the Indians are scalping the dead"
Where is the of1icer?"
''He jumped in the river and was shot
or drowned"
"Coward!' muttered Jabe. 'Why
didn't he die fighting? But where are
the people you saw on another island?"
II lost sight of them and they We gone,
don't know where"
81 don't understand it," said Jabe
''The French are their allies. Why did
they attack them?"
Its plain enough to me-" said Eph,
'sThey've been following us for two
days; they lost us among the islands,
and then they came upon the French
men, and they said to themselves: Here
are the fellows that led Us such a
chase;' and then they went in without
asking any questions. Perhaps they
didn't care as long as they got few
scalps."
"Jaber' cried Nellie, "they've found
some one hiding and dragged him out
He seems to be talking to them and
pointing to the dead men,"
''He's explaining the mistake to
them," said Jabe.
Nellie. "Some of them are throwing
wood on the fire; they're tying his
hands and feet. Don't you hear him
scream? think he's negro, and they're
going to burn him. Oh, Jabe, must
come down.
She had already commenced the de-
scent, and with her husbands aid,
reached the ground, pale and trembling.
Then she sat down and wept hyster-
ically.
The shrieks of the victim, partly
drowned by the yells of his tormentors,
soon died away, and dead silence fell
upon the group Of fugitives, broken &C.
casionally by sob from Nellie.
So engrossed were they by thoughts of
the tragic scene enacted so near them
and by hopes and fears of their own safety
that they were notaware of the presence
of stranger whose curious eyes were
regarding them from behind the cover
of the trunk of the tree. Then, recog-
nizing Jabes voice, he stepped boldly
forth and advanced toward the group
with noiseless steps, when Nellie raised
her head, uttered shrek, and, rushi..;
forward, threw her arms around tlio
new conner.
.Ariel!' exclaimed her husband, very
much in the tone of man who had seen
Josh S5IlNhRER \