Year: 1860

The following thrilling sketch (or the
denouement of one) is so admirably wit
ten, that we lay it before our readers, sure
of their approval. To understand the
point it is necessary to premise that Olier,
half breed, had previously murdered
brother of the narrator and pursuer: ay.


Night after night lay concealed at the
bluff awaiting the murderer | was armed
with pistols and wore skates. Skating was
an amusement in which | had excelled
when school boy, and facility in the art
was of the last Importance to my scheme
of retrbution. At length he came. 1t
was an exquisite night; the white eypanse
around sparkled in the sheen of CanadI-
an moon, which sailed calmly through a
cloudless sky. | could have shot the vii
lain as he ska;ed bv me within fifty wards,
but I would not risk the chance and be-
sides my vengence 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. Oil
yer swerved for a moment to see who was
his pursuer, then, quick as lightning, tried
to double up the river again. But | had
anticipated this, and with cooked pistol
in either hand barred his passage. With
a curse lie turned aud sped swiftly dowa
the ice.


And now the race for life began. Mile
after mile we swept along in silence. An
awful, portenious silence it was, through
which nothing broke save the hollow boom
of the swift steel cutting its way over the
~
bly, to my vengeance. lie could not es-
cape me, for | found with savage glee
that | was match for the swift footed IN
dian. Olier would skate close to the
woods, looking in vain for an aperture
But no; there was bnt one aperture from
this walled in river, and that was Orer the
taH!


Faster and fas'er yet we skated towards
the cataract. II 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
flash on his guilty mind The half breed
made answer to my thoughts. | saw him
in the pale simmer start convulsvely, and
! throw his armsin the air; but he dared not
stop, and on he darted again, with yell
Of despair, which echoed word-like up the
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 falls! We were nearing
them fast. Still the walls of snow shut in
my victim, and every moment lessened his
frail hopes of success. One chance was
left for him-to distance me, and hide
somewhere in the snow from my scrutiny.
! Vain hope-the wing of the bird could
scarce have saved him


HoarSer and louder grew the noise of
the waters. If [ thanked the Almighty
in frantic prayer flat the murderer was
delivered into my hand, | humbly trust
that it may be forgiven me now. From
the time | had started on Oilers track,
we had maintained exactly the same dis
tance between us-pcrhaps a hundred or
a hundred and fifty yards. l still grasped
my loaded pistols, for any stratagem on
the part Of the murderer. ...


And now the crash Of the falls came
loud and ominous on the ear. .. ta-


Another five minutes would decide the
hunt. Suddenly Oler turned and stood
at bay. lie was not armed felt certain
of that all along, for otherwise he would
have measured strength with me before.
Without abating my pace | skated down
upon him, holding a pistol in each hand.


Still my purpose was as fixed as ever,
only to shoot the villain as a last resource.
When | was within twenty Yards Cf him
the coward faltered, and again turned
swiftly down the river. With yelling


laugh | pursued him, pressing still moro
hotly on his track


Deafening was the roar of the cataract.
high into the pale ar ascended the mist Of
the spray, through which the spintered
lines of the moonlight darted in rainbow
tinted beauty, could see distinctly the
jagged line of the ice, where it was broken
by the rapids Immediately above that cat
aract, and beyond could trace the dark
volume Of the Scugog, as it emerged from
its prison of snow and ice. For an in
stant the half breed TUNED his face towards
me, as | pressed with concentrated hate on
bis footsteps; never shall | forget the
horrible dispair that distorted the villains
features. 1t was a mercy that the sulen
roar Of the falls drowned his curses 1
knew that lie was shrieking curses on me
for they would have haunted me in af-
ter years.


With the courage which is begotten Of
darkest despair, he dashed on to the brink
of the rapids, aud the next moment ! was
alone upon the ice. | gazed with stern
joy on the dark flood, which had seized in,
its resstless hands tie shcdder Of blood,
and was hurrying him over tie falls For
moment ! thought could sec the mur-
derer struggling in :he eddies bat the IL
lusion, if it was one, could live Only for an
instant. The cataract was within pistol
shot, and as turned up the dreary wilder
ness of ice and snow, knew tina: the doom
of the guilty skater had been fulfilled.


A PRIEST IMPRISONED FOR REFUSING TO
REVEAL CoNFEssIoNAL SEcHErs In the
Northern Circuit Court Of Durham, &.
w, a man was recently brought to trial
for stealing a watch. Among the witness
es was Father Kelly, Roman Catholic
II, Il Z