In Touch with Nature. ii 



history, and tales of his exploits in Indian warfare 

 are endless throughout the neighborhood. I sat 

 for a while, one morning, on the porch of his 

 brother's house, holding the doughty Edward's 

 rifle in my lap, the while listening to the strange 

 adventures, as tradition has them, wherein this 

 rifle played a most important part. With it, one 

 story goes, Marshall killed ninety-nine Indians, 

 and his sole regret at dying was, that he had not 

 had opportunity to make it an even hundred. It 

 is true the Indians had killed his wife, but this is 

 overmuch revenge for one who claimed to be a 

 Quaker. Doubtless many a fanciful touch has 

 been added to the family traditions in the last 

 century, but that he was a man of unusual parts is 

 certain. A few words concerning Indians credited 

 to him indicates this : " When I discover ain Indian 

 I shut one eye and we never meet again." 



But let us to weightier matters : awake at dawn, 

 but not responding with commendable promptness 

 to the call of a red-bird perched upon the high 

 rocks behind us, I allowed myself to indulge in 

 that dearest of the day's occupations, matutinal 

 reveries, — too often " dear" in every sense of the 



