The Opelousas courier., 1898-11-19

l was expecting that, and my double
barrel instantly covered him. l turned
him out of the shanty, and threw after
him his gun, his snow7shoes and all
his belongings, with a big lump of
cold roast venison ribs. He gathered
up all these articles sullenly, and tying
on his snow-shoes, tramped off up the
hillside among the pines.
Now that it was too ate, l began a
little to regret my act, for | rather
feared that he might hang around and
Shoot me from behind a tree. I kept
pretty close within my cabin that day
and did pot go out unarmed, but al
though / watched from my window, l
SAW no more of my late guest. Next
day I followed his trail for several
miles through the woods, and as it led
unswervingly north-westwareseh. l
thought that he had fnall5 lefts the
district.
! Four days after. when I vas return,
ing about moor from an inspection Of
some marten traps, l n-ticed tracks on
the now once more-snow-shoe
"A t"O-udNS SlGi III Istu JuSl
blown over and the wilderness was
covered with a fresh layer of wholly
unbroken white, beaten hard in open
places by the force of the gale. There
was also upon the snow-shoe trail a
track as Of a narrow toboggan, and
the sight caused me = certain vague
u~neasiness.
t-r-
My heart missaye me still more
when | came in sight of the cabin and
saw the door standing wide open. I
hurried forward, and in another in
slant had learned the truth. The
shanty was sacked and completely dis
mantied.
My scanty stock of flour, of tea, of
sugar: the large canister Of gunpow-
der. the little bags of shot, the loaded
shells and the reloading tools-all were
gone. The blankets and furs had dis
appeared, with the cache of meat and
the ak, and my few books lay half
consumed at the edge of a living fire
on the hearth, showing that a desire
for revenge as we'll as the wish to rob
me had inspired the deed.
A clean sweep had been made of
everything. and l stood possessed of
little more than my gun, my small
Ratchet and the couple of dozen load
ed shells in my belt.
: Lat once set myself to examine the
trail of the robber, and as I expected,
| found the distinct mark of the patch
ed cross-bar in the snow-shoe. 1t was
the sign pedal Of my Indian friend.
Had he appeared before me at that
moment. l might have shot him down
in my anger. He had committed a
fearful crime. Better kin a man out
right in the North than deprive him
of his supplies against cold and hun
ger! However, the culprit was doubt
less miles away. and l set out briskly
upon his track.
1t appeared hat he had passed along
about three hours before, probably as
soon as he had seen me disappear
down the valley. 1 walked in the
track of the toboggan, which, heavy
with the spoils of my cabin. had beat
en- a hard pathway, enabling me to
make 4 good pace. l knew that the
Indian, encountered as he was by the
fresh snow and the toboggan, would
be able to travel but slowly, and l
hoped to overhaul him before dark.
At any rate, I expected that he
camp for an hour or two al
nlghtfall for a cup of tea and a nap,
and felt sure Of coming upon hing be-
fore he could start again. Anyhow, 1
was determined to keep up the chase
until | dropped or overlook my man.
The December afternoon soon grew
dark, and the woods speedily took on
inexpressibly wierd, f%orbidding
look Of desolation and loneliness that
no one can picture unless he has
in a Northern forest at night
fall. A moon already hung over the
tree-tops, and as the light waned in
the west the snow grew silvery with
her rays, SO that l had no difficulty
L. following the trail.
About an hour later l came upon the
'moldering ashes ,of a fire, and a heap
If sapin where h blanket had been
aid. The Indian had been gone at
east an Shour, but it was plain that
was gaining OF him, so l pushed
Onward with the utmost enthusiasm
nto a rugged country of hills and
small precipices. with a clumsy
growth of birch and willow along the
stream-beds.
l was upon the brink Of one of these
leclivines. which was piled and
with a sheer and overhanging
Of huge snOw-drifts. blown hard
g a floor and offering a good walking
llace. The trail led along the base
# this hillside, and l was considering
to descend it. when Il bright flash
)laZed out from a thicket fifty yards
way. The woods echoed the sharp
eport, and half a dozen buckshot went
vhizZing past, while l heard another
vhack into a sapling close by. Z.
Instinctively l dropped, and the
hadows near the ground concealed
ne. So l lay m%otionless for some min {
ties, till l began to fear that l should
re frozen, for the night vas still and {
Intensely cold. Presently, however, l /
aw a dark figure creep out from the
'lackness Of the thicket whence the {
hot was fired, and advance slowly /
cross the glistening surface toward l
ne. |
| could hear the creak and crunch S
t his sn0w-shoes, and did not need ,
he moonlight to identify my treach- Z
rous guest. +
] might easily have shot him az T I,