26 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



side the lifeless remains of his Mattie and his 

 children, whom he alternately embraced. He 

 then rose, and silently and with an awful solem- 

 nity proceeded to work for hours, until a grave 

 was formed, large and deep, in which he placed 

 side by side his treasures. Their youngest-born 

 lay on the fair mother's breast, the eldest with the 

 death frown of a hero on his brow, still grasped 

 the rifle with which he had vainly sought to 

 combat the deadly foe ! The miserable father, 

 having completed his task, erected a small 

 pile of stones where reposed the remains of his 

 all of earthly bliss. Then snatching up his rifle 

 in one hand, with the other he waved a farewell 

 to his companions, and disappeared following 

 the track of the Shawnees. 



He never left that track. For years he 

 haunted the hunting grounds of the Shawnees, 

 slaying them as they slept, or as they sat at 

 their feasts, or as they groped in the paths of the 

 forest. Gradually, such numbers had fallen un- 

 der his terrible rifle, that he was dreaded as the 

 phantom of murder, and the Shawnees deserted 

 their old resorts on the banks of the Green Eiver. 

 As the last of their canoes dropped down the 

 stream, a bullet struck one of its crew, who fell 

 into the water, dead. The others looked up, 

 and saw their fearful enemy retiring into the 

 forest. A simple stone sarcophagus, such as 



