Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-03-31
that no covert under heaven would pre-

Ao'u VI ice, tHe trees were cnOkeQ up
with snow and on each side of the ice
bound river the forests lowered like
massive cliffs of challky rock. No path
could now be forced into the recesses of
the forest below our village. Scarcely
had winter settled down for his undis-
turbed reign when [ heard whisperings
that the villain half breed was again
lowering on the outskirts of the settle
ment. 1t was told me that he was liv-
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 a 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 / felt, no matter
how fiendish the spirit, that the doom of
the half breed was fixed, and that l was
to be his unrelenting executioner.
Night after night l lay concealed at
the bluff awaiting the murderer. was
armed with pistols and wore skates.
Skating was an amusement which had
excelled in when a 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 cloudless sky.
l could have shot the villain as he skated
by me within fifty yards, but | 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 shout of exultation,
started on his track. Olier swerved a
moment to see who his pursuer was.
then quick as lightning tried to double
up the river again. But had antici-
pated this, and with cooked pistol in
each hand l 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. Tie
moon lit me nobly to my vengeance.
He could not escape me, for l found
with savage glee that l was 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;
there was but one outlet from this
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 flash 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 yell of
despair which echoed weirdlike up the
frozen channel.
Another sound came to my ear, and |
knew what had caused that cry 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
chance was left him-to distance me
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 l thanked the Almighty |
III frantic prayer that the murderer was |
delivered into my hand, humbly trust
that it is forgiven me now. From the |
time l 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 grasped 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.
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.
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 yelling laugh l pursued him,
still more hotly ON his track.
Deafening was the roar of the cata-
ract; high into the pale sky ascended |
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
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 the
half breed turned his face toward me as
pressed with concentrated hate on his
footsteps. Never shall forget the hor-
-lble despair that distorted the villains
1t was mercy that the sui
IF fn11 4