University of Virginia Library

AN INDIAN'S REVENGE.

Some twenty-five or thirty years ago, circumstances made me,
for a few days, an inmate of a family situated in the heart of the
Green Mountains. It was the family of a hardy young farmer,
who, with a wife, young, active and ambitious as himself, had in
a few years before, made his pitch on a lot of wild land, and was
now, by the steady efforts of his industry, rapidly transforming
the patch of brown wilderness, which he had selected as his
home, into a cultivated field. It was now the night of a beautiful
summer's day, and the sun was slowly sinking behind the
woody hills which, deeply environing the log house and the little
opening around it,stood clothed in all the green majesty of nature
sending forth on the fine atmosphere, cooled and moistened by
the evaporating spray of a thousand falling rills, their sweet and
healing breath impregnated with all the blooming fragrance of
the blooming wilderness. The farmer had returned from his labor
in the field, and was silently pacing the room with an air of
dejection and pensiveness. He gave no reason for this change
in his deportment, and remained silent until he was kindly interrogated
by his wife: “I know not how it is Rebecca, but I have
felt this day a sensation of uncommon uneasiness, rather of mind
than of body I believe, the same unaccountable feeling that I
have always experienced when some hidden danger was lurking
about me. “I think it all your own fancyings” replied she, with
some apparent concern. “My husband she continued,” turning to
me with the air of one who seems to consider some explanation called
for by the circumstances; “my husband is a little subject at

times, to dark and moody turns, and often starts at imaginary dangers,
while real ones appear to be the least of his concern.”
While she was speaking, the husband had approached the side
of the house and was intently looking through a large crevice between
the logs from which the moss, a substance in common use
to stop the crevices of log buildings, had been partly removed.
In a moment, he started back with a look of dismay, seized his
rifle from the wooden hooks by which it was suspended from a
beam above him, and instantly cocked it. “Rebecca,” said he
in a hurried tone, “come here!” She tremblingly obeyed, and
looking through the crevice in the direction of his quivering finger.
She instantly recoiled from the view, with her husband who
was now in the attitude of raising the muzzle of the piece to the
crevice. Seizing it with both hands, “you cannot be so thoughtless,”
said she, “as to fire upon them—O! fly, fly out of the
other window, and you can reach the woods unseen.”

The husband pausing a moment and giving a quick glance in
every direction around him, replied, “You are right,”—while
she, as if reading at a look his wishes, reached his powder horn
and ball pouch, and was hurrying him to the window. As he
passed me he said “stay here and protect my family till I return,
and all but life shall reward you.” He then threw himself out
of the window, and bowing almost to the ground and sometimes
creeping, he pursued his way hastily through the weeds and bushes
that bordered a small rivulet, till he reached the woods and
disappeared. “There, said she,” drawing her suspended breath,
“thank heaven, he is safe!” Amazed at what I had witnessed,
I hastily asked for an explanation. Convulsively seizing my arm
she conducted me to the crevice. “Look beneath yonder clump
of trees,” said she. I did so, and to my surprise, I beheld three
Indians apparently holding a consultation and watching the
house, They were armed with rifles, tomahawks, cords, and such
other implements as their warriors are known to carry when on
expeditions of massacre or capture. “There, sir, is the cause
of our fears. We have before been alarmed in this manner, but
my husband, then, as he has now, providentially escaped them.
Had he been seen here, it would probably have been their endeavor
to have taken him to night and carried him off to their tribe,

to murder him after their own fashion; or, had they failed in
this, they would have ambushed and shot him. But now they
have not seen him, they will watch for a day or two and depart
as noiseless as they came.” I expressed some doubts of their
hostile intentions, and suggested the improbability that they would
here dare to seek the life of an individual, since the country had
become so far settled, that on the least alarm, a force could soon
be rallied sufficient to exterminate the whole tribe. “My husband,”
said she, “was formerly a hunter on the lakes, and he then
innocently was the cause of an accident which terminated fatally
to an Indian, and which, it seems, they think he can only atone
for with his life. Though they pass peaceably through the country,
and as yet have committed no violence, still my husband too
well knows their deadly purpose. How they have discovered
his present residence is still unknown to him. But I choose that
he should tell his own story. Stay with us over to-morrow; they
will depart, and he will return.” I consented. The Indians after
reconnoitering the house from different positions disappeared for
the night. They repeated the same several times the next day,
when, towards night they disappeared, and were soon heard of
several miles off, making their way northward. The farmer returned
the next day, when he related the following adventure of
his early days:

“Several years ago, I made an excursion to lake Memphremagog
for the purpose of spending the fall in hunting and catching
furs around the shores of that lake, which is now associated with
recollections which I fear will always be fatal to my happiness.
I had been there several weeks, when, one day being out in quest
of a deer which my dog had started, I heard the report of a rifle
at some distance, and pursuing my way in the direction of
the sound, I soon came across an Indian who lay wounded and
bleeding on the ground. From appearances, as well as his signs,
I learned that being in the range of the game and his companions,
he had been wounded by the ball from one of their rifles,
and that they, unconscious of what they had done, had pursued
the chase and left him in this condition, fainting from the loss of
blood. I staunched his wound the best way I could, revived and
conveyed him to my tent. The wound was not dangerous, and

in a few days, during which I paid all the attention in my power,
he was enabled to depart to his tribe who were encamped
round the other end of the lake. After this, he frequently visited
my tent, bringing me game and taking various ways to express
his gratitude, spending considerable time with me, and often joining
me in hunting excursions, I soon became much attached to
him, and repaid his kindness with many little presents of various
kinds of trinkets which I had brought with me. This probably
awakened the jealousy of his companions, as I afterwards noticed
an uncommon coolness and reserve in their manner towards
me when I met them. While matters continued thus, one night
as I lay in my tent, I was awakened by a furious barking of my
dog. The terrified animal, by his unnatural cries, and the manner
in which he ventured forth and frequently retreated back into
the door of my tent, told me that no common animal was
near me. I arose, renewed the priming of my gun, and looked
out in the direction where the attention of the dog was confined.
At length my sight was caught by two hideously glaring
eye-balls that were beaming out from the boughs of a thick
pine that stood but eight or ten rods from my tent. I at once
knew it to be an enormous catamount. And, judging from the
motions of the animal that he was about to leap towards me, I
resolved to hazard a shot, although sensible of the uncertainty of
my aim in the dark. I accordingly levelled my piece, and carefully
directing my aim between the two bright orbs that were
glowing down upon me with the intenseness of a furnace, I fired,
and the animal with a tremendous leap and a scream that
echoed for miles among the mountains of the lake, fell to the
ground about half way from the tree to where I stood, my dog
still refusing to approach the spot, and knowing the animal to be
dangerous, even with the last gasp of life, I hastily reloaded for
another fire. At this moment I heard a rustling among the bushes,
and discerning some dark object to move in the direction of
the animal, and supposing he was preparing for another leap, I
fired, something fell to the ground, and my blood curdled as I
heard the sounds of the human voice in the hollow groan that accompanied
the fall! I hastened to the spot: the lifeless body of
the catamount lay upon the ground—and a little further, I beheld
a human being writhing in the agonies of death. I applied a
torch light to his face, and to my unutterable grief, discovered him
to be my Indian friend. Having been belated on an excursion,
he was probably approaching the tent for the night at the time
I was reconnoitering the catamount; and having seen him fall
he was cautiously approaching the animal when arrested by my
fatal shot, which it was my luckless destiny to give him. Though
unable to speak, a fierce and vengeful expression was beaming in
his eyes, as he beheld me. In a moment, however, as if satisfied
of the innocence of my motives on witnessing the agony of my
feelings, his countenance assumed a mild and benignant expression.
He stretched out his hand to receive mine; and with this
last convulsive effort of appeased and friendly feeling, he immediately
expired. I soon began to feel sensible of the peculiar
difficulties and dangers of my situation. If I should call in the
Indians, I doubted greatly whether I should be able to prevent
them from suspecting me of intentionally killing their companion;
and such suspicions, I feared, would be fostered by some of
the tribe in their present feelings towards me. And as suspicion,
in the creed of the Indian, is but little better than conviction,
and fearful of the fiery tortures that must follow such a conclusion
in their minds, I concluded, perhaps unwisely, to dispose of
the body secretly. With this determination, I took the rifle and
several steel traps which the deceased had with him, and lashing
them to the body, conveyed it to my canoe and rowed to the
deepest part of the lake. I shall never forget the painful and
gloomy feeling that attended the performances of this sad and
fearful office. Though conscious of my innocence, and of being
only dictated by prudence in thus disposing of him to whom I
could have wished an honorable interment, still a kind of guilty
feeling, and self-condemnation, weighed deeply on my mind.
Even the murmuring winds that were sighing mournfully through
the tall pines that stood towering along the shores of the lake,
seemed to upbraid me; and the low wailings of the waves, dashing
sullenly on the distant beach, seemed to fall on my ear in the
sounds of reproach for the deed I was committing; dark presentiments
of approaching danger oppressed and sunk gloomily on
my spirits. On arriving into the deep waters of the lake, I lifted
the body over the side of the canoe into the water, and it immediately
sunk by the weight of iron by which it was encumbered,
and disappeared from my sight. I then turned and rowed
back hastily to the shore. As I was about to step out of my canoe,
I heard the plash of an oar at a distance down the lake.
This circumstance, though I could discern nothing, much alarmed
me, as I supposed the Indians were abroad on the lake, and
had probably observed my movement—in which case I feared
that a discovery was inevitable; for though they must be perfectly
ignorant of my business at the time, yet on missing their companion,
they would be sure to revolve this circumstance in
their minds, in every bearing, and perhaps with some ingenious
conclusion, connect it with his fate; for there are no people
who can vie with the natives of our forests in the scrutinizing
closeness of their observations, the minuteness and accuracy of
comparing circumstances, and the faculty of drawing conclusions
from presumptive evidence. I returned to my tent and lay down
—but not to sleep. Alone, in a dark wilderness, many miles
from the dwelling of a civilized being, and deprived of my only
friend by the very blow that had brought me into the situation
where he was the most needed—the gloomy stillness of the house,
and the dark forebodings of the future, rushed on my mind, and
conspired to fill my bosom with feelings of grief, anxiety, and
utter loneliness.

The next day I went out and was absent nearly all day. As
I was returning, when I came in sight of my tent, I saw two Indians
intently examining the spot where the deceased had fallen.
They then took the trail I had made in carrying the body to the
lake, carefully noticing each leaf on the way till they reached the
canoe, and after looking at it minutely awhile, they raised a kind of
wailing whoop and departed towards their encampment. Judging
from their appearance that they had formed conclusions unfavorable
to me, I packed up my most valuable furs and other articles,
and building a good fire at the door of the tent, I took a
bear skin and laid down in a thicket at a distance, from which
I could see directly into the tent. During the evening several
Indians appeared around the tent, and finally entered
it. Finding my moveables gone, they immediately raised the

war-hoop and scattered in every direction. One came near me,
pursuing his way down the lake. I remained awhile, then rose,
and taking my pack, directed my course to the south end of the
lake, from whence I intended to steer to the nearest white settlement.
I reached the place before day, unmolested, and sought
a concealment in an old tree top on the ground, where I laid still
till nearly dark the next day. I then rose and was making my
way homeward, when two Indians rose from a thicket and rushed
upon me. I run for the shore of the lake which I had not yet
left, and reached it as the Indians were within two rods of me.
It was a precipice of rocks hanging perpendicularly fifty feet
above the waters. I must be taken or leap the rock. I paused
an instant, plunged headlong and was quickly buried in the deep
waters beneath. When I arose, I saw my faithful dog, who had
followed the desperate fortunes of his master, floating apparently
lifeless on the surface, having so flatly struck the water in his
fall that the shock had deprived him of breath and the power of
motion. With as little of my head above water as possible, I
swam under the shelving rocks so as to get out of the view of
the Indians. Several balls were in quick succession sent into
the body of the unconscious dog, it being now so dark the Indians
could not distinguish it from me. Supposing they had
done their bloody work, they ran up the lake, where they could
get down to the water, to swim in after what they mistook to be
my body. While doing this, I had swam in an opposite direction,
till, unseen, having effected a landing, I took my course with
rapid strides towards the settlements, and had proceeded some
distance before I heard the whoop which told the disappointment
of the Indians. I however travelled all night unmolested, and
the next day at noon was safely lodged in the house of an old acquaintance.”

After the narrator had concluded his story, I partook of some
refreshment and soon took my leave of the family. Several
years after, I was journeying through the town, and passed by
the same dwelling. It was desolate and tenantless, and the
weeds and bushes had grown up where I had before seen fields
of waving grain. On inquiry, I learned that the former occupant,

having again been haunted by the Indians, and, perhaps
still more by his own imagination, had removed into the western
country, without informing even his nearest neighbors of his intended
residence.