Volume 1

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FATAL RESULT. 2/1
the Indian uttering hideous yells and bawling out : "The
bad dogs ! I see them—there they are—come on, friends
don't flinch—take courage—revenge the death of our relations
; come on, I say—have at them—fire "
! Langlois
was passing him, when suddenly the gun went off so near
his face as to singe his hair; he heard the Indian fall, but
the darkness prevented his seeing anything. At the same
moment he heard Duford fall in his cabin, calling out, " Oh !
Mr. Michel, I am killed." The Indian as soon exclaimed,
"What have I done? What is the matter?" When the
candle was lighted, Duford was found lying in his room, by
his bedside, weltering in blood ; the Indian was seated with
his head between his legs ; and one of our own guns was
lying upon the floor. It was a fine gun, with extremely
weak springs, and had been known repeatedly to go off in
handling it carelessly. One of my people had been out
shooting pheasants the day before, and returned late in the
evening, after the Indians had begun to drink ; he had
placed this gun inside Duford's cabin, close to the door.
The Indian, although very drunk, on seeing the mischief
he had done fell a-crying and lamenting, assuring the bystanders
that he did not do it intentionally, and that, if they
were of a different opinion, they were welcome to kill him
he was ready to die—they might strike, as he knew he deserved
death. I then went to Duford and inquired the
particulars ; he related nearly the same story, with this
addition, that the Indian, in tumbling about the hall, had
fallen near his room and pulled down a blanket which
Duford had hung up to serve instead of a door. It was
supposed his hand closed upon the gun by accident, as
Duford said the Indian fell backward into the room. When
the latter had recovered himself and was staggering about
in the dark, Duford got up to fasten the blanket, not a
word having passed between them ; he secured one corner
with an awl, spread out the blanket, and was fastening the
other corner with an awl also, when suddenly the shot was
fired through the blanket. On mature deUberation, I felt