The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-07-12

| had killed three, and might have in
creased his score if his supply o
ammunition had not given out
Forpsceing that Akowma's prolonged
absence from the settlement woulG
cause his friends to organize a search
, ing party, the boys confidently ex
pected rescue not later than the next
day. Fur parkies (hooded coats) en-
| abled them to defy cold, and as 70,
hunger Nipsus pack, thanks to their
| kinsman's bounty, contained an
abundance of food, while AkOwma had
his string of ptarmigan and other
birds.
They feared only fall, which might
result should drowsiness overpower
them. To prevent accident Of this
kind Nipsu had already lashed him.
self to his perch by means of his belt
and a piece of pacllstrap, and he ad
viSed his brother to do likewise
With arm outstretchcd, Akowma
could almost touch with his finger-tips
the face of the precipice beside him
What if the wolves, of whose cunning
he had heard much. should take it
into their heads to proceed to the top
of the hill, and by leaping down into
the spruce come to close quarters with
him? 1t was true that long detour
through the woods would first be
necessary, but, desperate with hunger,
as they were, he believed that neither
In Intn J,n af foI1
with their victim would restrain them
Clinging by its roots to the frozen
soil on the brink of the rocky WALL a
white birch dropped until its bushy
branches mingled with the spruce
bOughs few feet above his head. AS,
in sudden dismay, he glanced up
through the falling snow-fakes, the
sight of its gnarled and twisted trunk
suggested to him that if he could but
elude the vigilance of his besiegers. it
way over the birch to the verge of the
rock.
Then he could hurry back to the
settlement, arouse the hunters, and
return with them to relieve Nipsu
Realizing that delay increased the
likelihood of an attack from above. he
straishtway prepared to carry out this
plan.
Darkness and the falling snow were
in his favor, but he wished besides to
devise means of distracting the
wolves attention. He rejected the
idea of scattering his birds among
them; these would be snapped up too
quickly. But more promising
scheme soon occurred to him.
Descending the tree, he suspended
three of the ptarmigan from branches
wheer they dangled temptingy just
beyond reach of the gaunt beasts.
Then, taking with him his snow
shoes, he reascended to where the
dropping birch rubbed against the
spruce.
Stripping off his parkie, he stuffed
1t almost to bursting with spruce
twigs, amid which he distributed the
birds, after which he tied
thongs tightly about the waist, wrists
and hood of the garment.
This done, he called out to his
brother, telling him briefly of his pur-
pose. Nipsu volunteered, by shout
ing and by feigning an intention of
jumping down, to prevent those of the
pack which were guarding him from
noticing what was going on elsewhere
Pushing the bulky parcel outward
and clear of intervening boughs,
Akowma dropped it into the snow at
the foot of the tree, fifty feet below,
on the side away from the rock. The
wolves, no doubt mistaking it for the
lad himself, pounced upon it, rending
it with teeth and claws, and fighting
with one another over its contents.
Now was Akowma's time. Without
stopping to deplore the ruin Of his
Darkie, he swung himself into the
birch. The clamor of the quarreling
)rutes below drowned the swapping
If twigs, brittle with cold, that &C
his hasty passage along
he bending tree.
kneeling on the brink of the preci-
,ice, he listened anxiously while put
ing on his snow-shoes, but there was
10 abatement in the noise of conflict.
lis flight had not yet been perceived.
The soft, new-fallen snow muffled
he sound of his snOw-shoes as he
ped on through the trackless birch
Orest covering the hill. He laid his
curse straight for the settlement.
lipsus vociferous cries were audible
ong after he had left the hill, but no
wolves barred his path.
On reaching home, which he did
without mishap, his tidings were re-
eived with joy. Every man and boy
procured weapons and snowshoes, and
,uided by Akowma, who had donned
mother parkie, set forth to slay the
wolves.
AS they drew near the scene of the
ads adventure, the natives divided
heir forces. Part assailed the wolves
which were found still patiently sur
ounding the big spruce, while the
est relieved Nipsu The marauding
ack was annihilatef.
The meat obtained by Nipsu fur
ished food for the little community
ntil the migrating caribou had re-
urned, when starvation was no longer