Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-04
AN INDIAN ROMANCE.
Two Brothers Who Loved the Same Maiden. The Rivals Scheme of Revenge
 Didn't Work.

The Century
 In couples and in small companies the
 Indians hunted the deer, elk and ante
 lope; and while danger was always pres
 ent tragedies sometimes occurred in
 which neither wild beasts nor inimlcal
 tribes had part, but which arose from
 feelings and impulses common to hu-
 man nature. The following well-authenti-
 cated adventure took place in the last
 century. Two brothers loved the same
 woman. She favored the younger, but
 by some means the elder took her to
 wife. They were married in the fall of
 the year. and winter passed by and one
 day in spring the brothers went forth
 to hunt together. Walking near the
 breaks of the Clearwater the elder stop
 ped to look over the edge below, the river
 glistened in the morning sun. Half way
 down the rocky wall, upon ledge that
 jutted out from the sheer face of the
 precipice, he saw a nest of young eagles.
 He called to his brother who returned,
 and looked down upon the nest. q
 know what l will do,' he said; T will
 make a rope"
 So the two set to work. They stripped
 the bark from the willows, and plaited it
 into rope strong enough to hold man.
 This done they threw one end over the
 picClplte lO see II IL WdS 1OnS 6nOuSn to
 reach the nest; but it fell far short.
 Then they worked on, lengthening the
 rope until finally it rested upon the
 ledge. They agreed that. one was to
 let the other down to secure the eagles.
 The elder tied the rope about his body,
 and the younger lowered him carefully
 until his feet were on the ledge. As he
 walked along toward the nest he saw
 the rope suddenly tossed over the cliff.
 Instinctively he steaded himself, caught
 the rope and pulled it in. He was alone,
 with a precipce above and a precipice
 below, on a narrow ledge, with no living
 thing but himself and the half-grown
 eagles. By and by the old eagles re-
 turned and. seeing the intruder, were
 inclined to be hostile but the man was
 careful not to anger them, and when
 they went away again he secured a part
 of the game they had brought to their
 young.
 Days wore on, and the mans life was sustained by the food the old eagles brought; but his distress from thirst was great, so he cleared out the little hol- lows in the rock to catch the rain, cov- ering them carefully to prevent evapo- ration. The young eagles became ac- customed to his companionship and the touch of his hand; but by and by the time came when they were ready to fly, and death looked the lonely man in the face. He resolved to make an effort to reach the ground. He had hidden his rope in a crevfce in the rock to keep it from drying; he now tied it firmly about his body, fastening each end strongly to an eagle, leaving sufficient length between the birds and himself to give full play to their wings. He req
 soned that if the eagles were not able to fly with his weight, they would break his fall by their endeavors to save them- selves. At all events it was death to remain upon the ledge after they had gone.
 When all was ready, with his bow and quiver fastened upon his back, he pushed the wondering eagles off their nest over the cliff, and they bore their strange bur- den down, down the canyon, and finally. weary with their enforced flight, alighted upon tree at the bottom. The man took a feather from each of his preservers and released them; then he swung himself down through the branches to the ground, and taking the shortest trail to his home, came upon his brother and his wife sitting together outside the tent. It took but moment to send an arrow through the unsuspecting man who had so cruelty betrayed him. then, confront ing the woman, in intensity of hope, he asked, Are you glad I have come?" She was silent, but her face told him the truth, and a second arrow pierced her heart Her body fell over the prostrate form of the younger brother before any one in camp realized that he who had long been given up as dead had returned to avenge his grievous wrongs.