The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-30

Winter set in, hard and white and
cold. The river Scugog was a level
road Of ice; the trees were choked up
with snow e1nl on each side of the ice
bound river the forests lowered like
massive cliffs Of chalEy rock. No path
could now be forced into the recesses OF
the forest below our village. Scarcely
had winter settled down for his undis-
surbed reign when heard whisperings
that the villain half breed was again
lowering on the outskirts Of the settle
nent. It 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 bis 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 I
heard be came by night to the village.
A terrible scheme of vengeance swept
across my soul, and I felt, no matter
how fendish the spirit, that the doom of
the half breed was fixed, and that was
to be his unrelensing executioner.
Night after night lay concealed at
the bluff awaiting the murderer. I was
armed with pistols and wore skates.
Skating was an amusement which had
e1celled in when schoolboy, and facil-
| ity in the art was Of the least importance
to ray scheme of retribution. At length
he came. It was an exquisite night; the
| white expanse around spanked In the
sheen Of a young Canadian moon which
sailed calmly through a cloudless sky.
| I could have shot the villain as he skated
by me within fifty yards, but l would
not risk the chance, and, besides, my
| vengeance cried for sterner fate than
death by the pistol.
No sooner was he past my hiding place
than, with a shout of exultation,
started on his track. Olier swerved
moment to sec 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 barred his passage. With
q 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. The
moon Lit me nobly to my vengeance.
He could not escape me, for l found
with savage glee that was match for
the swiftfocted 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. It could not be far
off. / 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 minda
The half breed made answer to my
thought saw him in the pale SHIN
mer start convulsively and throw his
arms IN the sir; but he dared not stop,
y
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 faAsi We were nearing
them fast. Still tho walls Of snow shut |
in my victim, and every moment less
ened his frai1 hopes of escape. One |
chance was left hi1n-to distance me
and hide somewhere in the Snow. from
my scrutiny. Vain hope; the wings Of
the bird could scarce have saved himl
Hoarser and louder grew the noise of
the waters. IF thanked the Almighty
in frantic prayer that the murderer was
delivered into my hand, I hu1nbly trust
that it is forgiven me now. From the
time I had first started ON Oilers track |
we had maintained exactly the same
distance between us-perhaps about a
hundred or q hundred and fifty yards. I
still g1asped my loaded pistols, ready
for any stratagem on the part of the
murderer.
And now the crash Of the falls came |
loud and orninous 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 I skated Down
upon him, holding a leveled pistol in
each. Still my purpose was as mixed as
ever only to shoot the villain as last
resource. When I was within twenty
yards Of him the coward faltered and
again turned swiftly down the river.
With yelling laugh I pursued him,
pressing still more hotly 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
sphntered 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-