The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-10

the forest below our village. Scarcely
had winter settled down for his undis-
turbed reign when I heard whisperings
that the villain half breed was again
lowering on the outskirts of the settle
| ment. 1t was told me that he was liy-
ing in kind of wigwam above the vii
lage, and also that he had more than
once come to the very dwellings of the
settlers by night, to visit his friends and
obtain various articles for his camp.
/ knew it would be vain to attempt TO
track him TO his wigwam or, at all
events, to surprise him; his wood craft
was much too deep to admit of such a
possibility. But strange, wild joy
trembled through my being when l
heard he came by night TO the village.
A terrible scheme of vengeance swept
across my soul, and l felt, no matter
how tiendish the spirit, that the doom Of
the half breed was fixed, and that l was
to be his unrelenting executioner,
Night after night / lay concealed at
the bluff awaiting the murderer. l was
armed with pistols and wore skates
Skating was an amusement which had
excelled in when schoolboy, and facil-
ity in the art was of the least Importance
to my scheme of retribution. At length
he came. 1t was an exquisite night; the
white expanse around sparkled in the
sheen of young Canadian moon which
sailed calmly through a cloudless sky.
could have shot the villain as he kated
by me within fifty yards, but l would
not risk the chance, and, besides, my
vengeance cried for a sterner fate than
death by the pistol.
No sooner was he past my hiding place
than, with a shout of exultation,
started on lis track. Olier swerved
moment to see who his pursuer was,
then quick as lightning tried to double
up the river again. But l had antici-
pated this, and with cooked pistol in
each hand barred his passage With
curse he turned and sped swiftly down
the ice.
And now the race for life began. Mile
after mile we swept along in silence.
An awful, portentous silence it was,
through which nothing broke save the
hollow boom Of the swift steel cutting
its way over the imprisoned river. Tho
moon lit me nobly to my vengeance.
He could not escape me, for found
with savage glee that was a match for
the swiftfooted Indian. Olier soon be-
came aware of this, too, for now and
again he would skate close to the woods,
looking in vain for an aperture. But no;
I~r% lat IL
walled In river, and that was over the
falls!
Faster and faster yet we skated to-
ward the cataract. 1t could not be far
off. l pictured to myself what Oilers
thoughts might be. Did he know whittier
he was Fastening, or had that awful
light yet to fash On his guilty mind?
The half breed made answer to my
thought. saw him in the pale SHIN
mer start convulsively and throw his
arms in the air; but he dared not stop,
and on he darted again with a yell of
despair which echoed weirdlike up the
frozen channel.
Another sound came to my ear, and |
knew what had caused thatcry of agony
to burst from Olier; it was the dull
thunder of the falls, We were nearing
them fast. Still the walls of snow shut
in my victim, and every moment less
ened his frail hopes Of escape. One
and hide somewhere in the snow from
my scrutiny. Vain hope; the wings Of
the bird could scarce have saved him,
Hoarser and louder grew the noise Of
the waters. If thanked the Almighty
in frantic prayer that the murderer was
delivered into my hand, humbly trust
that it is forgiven me now. From the
time had first started on Oilers track
we had maintained exactly the same
distance between us-perhaps about a
hundred or hundred and fifty yards. /
still gIasped my loaded pistols, ready
for any stratagem on the part Of the
murderer.
And now the crash of the falls came
loud and ominous on the ear. Another
five minutes would decide the hunt.
Suddenly Olier turned and stood at bay
He was not armed; had felt certain Of
that all along, for otherwise he would
have measured strength with me before.
Without batting my pace l skated down
upon him, holding leveled pistol in
each. Still my purpose was as mixed as
ever only to shoot the villain as last
resource. When l was within twenty
yards of him the coward faltered and
again turned swiftly down the river.
With a yelling laugh / pursued him,
pressing still more holly on his track.
Deafening was the roar of the cata-
ract; high into the pale sky assembled
the mist of its spray. through which the
splintered lines of the moonlight darted
in rainbow tinted beauty. | could see
directly in front the jagged line of the
ice where it was broken by the rapids
immediately above the cataract, and be
yond could trace the dark volume OF
the Scugog as it emerged from its prison
of snow and ice. For an instant ths
half breed turned his face toward me as
/ pressed with concentrated hate on his
footsteps Never shall forget the hor-
rible despair that distorted the villains
features. 1t was mercy that the sui
len roar of the falls drowned his curses
i knew he was shrieking curses on me
for they would have haunted ne In
after years.
With the courage which is begotten Of
the darkest despair, be dashed on TO the
brink Of the rapids. and the next mo
ment ! was alone on the icei / gazed
with stern JOY on the dark food which
had seized in its resistless hands the
shedder Of blood and was hurrying him
over the fails For moment thought
| could perceive the murderer struggling
In the eddies. but the illusion, If II vas
one could live only for An instant The