cxlviii 
LIFE OF WILSON. 
and forwards, she thinks, for several hours, and talking aloud, as 
she said, “ like a lawyer.” She then heard the report of a pistol, 
and something fall heavily on the floor, and the words “ 0 Lord!" 
Immediately afterwards she heard another pistol, and in a few 
minutes she heard him at her door calling out “ 0 madam ! give 
me some water, and heal my wounds" The logs being open, and 
unplastered, she saw him stagger back and fall against a stump that 
stands between the kitchen and room. He crawled for some dis- 
tance, raised himself by the side of a tree, where he sat about a 
minute. He once more got to the room ; afterwards he came to 
the kitchen door, but did not speak; she then heard him scraping 
the bucket with a gourd for water ; but it appears that this cooling 
element was denied the dying man ! As soon as day broke and not 
before, the terror of the woman having permitted him to remain 
for two hours in this most deplorable situation, she sent two of her 
children to the barn, her husband not being at home, to bring the 
servants ; and on going in they found him lying on the bed ; he 
uncovered his side, and shewed them where the bullet had enter- 
ed ; a piece of the forehead was blown off, and had exposed the 
brains, without having bled much. He begged they would take 
his rifle and blow out his brains, and he would give them all the 
money he had in his trunk. He often said, “I am no coward; but 
I am so strong, so hard to die" He begged the servant not to be 
afraid of him, for that he would not hurt him. He expired in about 
two hours, or just as the sun rose above the trees. He lies buried 
close by the common path, with a few loose rails thrown over his 
grave. I gave Grinder money to put a post fence round it, to shel- 
ter it from the hogs, and from the wolves ; and he gave me his 
written promise he would do it. I left this place in a very melan- 
choly mood, which was not much allayed by the prospect of the 
gloomy and savage wilderness which I was just entering alone. 
