for some unaccountable reason,
decided to go up alone. His oxen could not pull their load, and
Snyder, angry at them, began to beat them. Father, who had gone on
ahead, looking for the best road, came back, and in trying to make
Snyder stop abusing his beasts, roused his anger to the point of
frenzy. Father said, 'We can settle this, John, when we get up the
hill.' 'No,' said Snyder. 'We will settle it now!' and, jumping on the
tongue of his wagon, he struck father a hard blow over the head with
his heavy whip-stock. One blow followed another, and father was
stunned, as well as blinded by the blood streaming down from the
gashes in his head. The whip was about to drop again when mother
sprang between the two men. Father saw the uplifted whip and had only
time to cry 'John! John!' when down came the blow on mother's head.
Quick as a flash father's hunting-knife was out and Snyder fell,
mortally wounded, and fifteen minutes later died. Then father
realized, too late, what he had done. Dashing the blood from his eyes,
he knelt over the dying man, who had been his friend, with remorse and
agony in his expression.

"Camp was pitched at once, our wagon being some distance from the
others, and father, whose head was badly cut, came to me.

"'Daughter,' he asked, 'do you think you can dress these wounds in my
head? Your mother is not able and they must be attended to.' I said,
promptly: 'Yes, if you will tell me what to do.' Then we went into the
wagon, where we would not be disturbed, and I washed and dressed his
wounds as best I could. When I had done what he told me to do, I burst
out crying, and father clasped me in his arms, saying: 'I should not
have asked so much of you!' I told him it was pity for him that made
me cry. Then he talked to me quietly until I had controlled my
feelings and was able to go back to the tent where mother was lying,
weak and dazed by the happenings of the day. And there were worse
things to come. In our party there was a man who had been in the habit
of beating his wife until father told him he must either stop it or
measures would be taken to make him. He did not dare abuse her again,
but he hated father from that time, and now he had his chance for
revenge. After Snyder had been buried, and father had sadly watched
the last clod of earth piled on the grave, the men of the party held a
conference from which our family were excluded. We waited a short
distance away, in terrified suspense to k