Year: 1874

CABIN, listening 10 lHe CllIlulSH Pl"lIiS
of the little one, or else engaged in
making some toy or plaything from
willow twigs or plant bark.


In this manner several years had
been passed, and Rufus Branson came
to feel as though he was within the
walls Of the frontier fort. One even
ing Branson and his wife were seated
near the doorway, when suddenly a
shadow fell accross the threshold, and
the next moment tall savage, whose
reeling step and blood.shot eyes told
that he was intoxicated, appeared, and
staggered TO the log steps, and threw
himselfupon them. His first demand
was for fire-watcr. which was of course
refused, on the ground that there was
none in the house. The Indian be-
came cross and declared with terri
BILE oaths that if the liquor was not
produced he would murder the house:
hold. Branson was a brave, deter
mined man, and although he dreaded
the necessity, yet he saw he would be
compelled to take prompt steps to pre-
veat the savage from attempting to
execute his threat.


Waiting until the warrior had made
a demonstration, which he soon did
by attempting to take out his toma-
hawk, BransOn Sprang at him, knock
ed him down by blow Of his fist, and
then he quietly disarmed and bound
him where he lay. After few mo-
ments OF furious rawlings and futile
efforts to free himself, the saavge roll
ed over and sank into a drunken sleep.
He did not awake until the next morn
ing, but before he did so the settler had
quietly removed his bands and restor-
ed his weapons, which he laid by the
sleepers side. The savage, on awake
ming, rose slowly to his feet, felt his
wrists as though the thongs had left a
feeling there, took up his weapons and
without speaking a word, left and dis
appeared in the timber near by.


"What do you think of that" asked
the vile, turning to her husband with
a frightened look.


"Pshaw! Don't trouble your head
about that drunken brutem answered
the husband lightly; but as he turned
away and stepped into The yard. he
muttered:


"Like it! Well, not much. The fel
low must be watched. Twas in hopes
that he would not have remembered,
but that lump where my fist landed
was enough, Il nothing else, to recall
the circumstance.


The summer passed and they saw
their drunken guest no more. He
failed to make his appearance. But
as the leaves began to fall, the settler
one day while returning from hunting
on the hills, and passing through a
dense piece of timber not far from the
house, caught sight of figure lurking
in the bushes, but which quickly dis
appeared when he advanced in that di-
rection. The figure was that Of an In
dian warrior, and Branson would have
sworn that it was the Indian warrior
whom he had knocked down and bound
the previous spring. The news. was
not in any way comforting, and hence
he did not tell his wife Of the diseove-
ry.


1t would only alarm her, he thought
and without, perhaps, any good result.
He simply told her he had discovered
bear tracks near by, and that she and
her child must stay within or close TO
the house during his absence. =


Several days after, Rufus Branson
heard his dogs in the timber, down
by the river, and knowing they never
opened without good cause, he took
up his rife and Fastened to where they
were barking. They had. struck a
fresh bear trail; and, as he arrived in
sight, they fairly lifted it, going of in
4 straight line down the river.


The chase led thep several miles,
and when he at last got shot that f.
nished bruins career, he found that it
was 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
Swinging his meat to Il saplipg, out Of
reach Of cat or wolf, he started for
home to get his horse and return and
fetch it tina. night.


Taking near cut he reached the west
ern side, where the timber grew heavy
IN TO within a few wards of the bnild-