The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-21
S0ME NJUNS."
The TRAPoER'S STORY ORA Si0UXS
GRATITUDE.

R1Sr-GSgS'1S ySs7S sT'SgGSE,
- NOE in his life old Thad Grif-
fin, the trapper, did a very
! foolish thing; at least, that
was what he called the act,
when he thought Of It at all, for long
time afterward. Two young Sioux
braves having attacked him, Thad had
killed one and wounded the other. But
he tool, the wounded man to his cabin.
dressed the wound, nursed the Indian
back to health, and then restored his
gun and canoe, and told him to go
home to his own people
But the Indian did not lead a scalp
ing party back to the trappers camp,
as Griffin had half expected he would.
Nothing more was heard of him. Three
years after, when Griffin left Fort
Smelling at the end Of September, and
started up the Minnesota River to be-
gin his fall hunt the incident had al
most faded from his mind He pad
died to the headwaters of the Pomme
de Terre, and camped a few days in
little thicket of scrub oak, while he
looked round to see what the prospect
was for furs-and for Indians. He
had kept his eyes open all the way up
river, for the Sioux were reported to
be on the Warpath This, however.
was somewhat in the trapper's favor.
for they would be likely to travel in
big bands, and with care he might the
easier avoid them.
There were "slathers of fur signs"
but no traces of Indians in this region
of rolling prairie broken at the east
ward by a belt of heavy timber. So
one day Griffin set out with his gun to
try for a saddle Of venison. When the
afternoon was almost over he found
a good sized buck, and presently start
ed for camp with the hide and saddle
slung to his back
Clear sky and bracing atmosphere
and the promise of q successful season
made the blood fairly bound through
the trapper's veins, and he strobe along
feeling as though he would like to
sing. Indians were far from his
thoughts just then. The greater was
his dismay when, just as he had
reached the top Of a low ridge hall
way between the woods and his camp
he saw band Of forty Sioux coming
up on the other side.
Griffin had had many a "fuss" with
these same Indians and he recognized
them instantly as belonging to a vii
lage that wintered in the Ottertai
woods, away off at the northeast. Evi
IDENTIFY they had been out on the Da
kOta prairies for a big buffalo hunt
for they were on foot and leading
their ponies, which were loaded will
hides and dried meat
Flat in the grass dropped Griffin, bu
not soon enough to escape the sharI
eyes of the Indians. Raising a terrific
whoop, they left the ponies to lool
out for themselves, and came on in
body, while Griffin slipped the venisol
from his shoulders and started at hi
best pace toward the belt of timber.
The Indians were not more than tw
hundred yards away when Grifi
sighted them; but in running he ha
the advantage Of going down hill, an
he had almost doubled the distanc
before they reached the top of tn
ridge and began to shoot at him. Non
of the bullets happened to hit the mo7
ing target.
Griffin glanced over his shoulde
AS he expected, dozen of the swifte.
runners had thrown off their blanket
and, knives in hand, were approachiu
at rate that meant mischief for
man who must cling to a twelve-poun
gun But the trapper had been
worse places than this, and he fe
that if he could once get into Il
woods, with night falling, he cou
dodge the Indians.
He was still a half mile from Il
timber when he looked back once NOR
One Of the braves was now far in a
vance of the others, but all his pU
suers were gaining, and Griffin begi
to fear that he might lose the rae
tired as he was from his hunt al
handicapped by the weight he carrie
That foremost Indian must d
Griffin slackened his pace a trihe, til
he might get his breath before tryi
to take aim. The Indian put on
extra burst of speed.
When Griffin was close to the timt
the leading Indian had come so nc
that the trapper could hear the pat
of his footsteps Thinking it must
now or never, the trapper wheeled a
was about to pull trigger when
adversary made q movement Il