Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-25
EVENING STAR.
A PREDICAMENT;
Or, Floating Down the Ohio.

On log with two lngens, and floating along
at night down the Ohio. Well, sure enough,
there 1 was, and what did L think Off
Why, of every thing in this world; il rally
made me feel quite knotty, and what to do 1
did mt know.
We had now foated two or or three hun
dred yards, and was sitting, as 1 told you
before, straddled on the small end, and Jest as
silent as deer listening for the dogs, think
ing how the affair would terminate, when one
of the Ingins, who was still standing upon the
log, stepped off one Of the limbs to make
room for his companion. His stepping caused
the log to careen me into the water, and for
getting where was, and what was about
CRED Stop. stop! you'll turn me over.
Oh" said to myself, it is all over now
clean gone this time
"How the Ingens looked, I don't know, for
i was so dark 1 could mt see their faces but
they must have been worse skeered than L
was, Tor knew who they were, but they did
not know who was. They kept muttering
something very fast, and thought they were
going to quit the log and streak it, but arter
few minutes they became silent, and began
peeping towards whore was, like q couple of
turkeys looking for worms. And then one
said don't you see sOmething?'
Yes answered the other, dark lump !:
bear, perhaps and then the one who frst
spoke cried out: swho's there9. / didn't
| answer, but 1 growed small go fast, irving to
squeeze myself out of sight, that my skin
hung as loose as if it was a big Jacket They
kept peeping at me, and L heard one say
1t is no bear. 1t is man ; look at his head ,
when heard him say so, was so mad
that wished my head was under the log !;
but then l thought if it was, L wouldn't be
any better off than l was then, so straight.
ened up; know'd they had seen me, and I
thought twan't worth while to possum any
longer. Well, when / straigtened up he cried
out agin, who's there?' lam here said /,
speaking in his own language. The moment
spoke he laughed, and said to the other /:
be is pale face
Well, the reason he knowed me so quick
was, that he seed didn't speak the real In
gen. Arter he had told the other that + was
pale face he turned to me and said: "What
| are you doing there?'' "Sitting down strad-
die on the small end" said /. When said
his, they burst out out into a laugh: I nv.
self vas in no laughing humor. and it didn't
seem to LIE like laugh, but like a sort of
chuckle, and one said to the Otksz, {" He is a
pale face, lean dog, sleeping on log; we
dld catch him good )" aftereaying this they
put their hands to their mouths and gave the
war-whOop l tell you whas, it was an awful
sound, and then they told their companions
on shore that pale face was on the log with
them, and to get the boat and come quick
Those on shore answered them and ran laugh
ing rown the river looking for the boat. and
keeping along with the log. Inow found that
must 80 at the old work, and my bristles
began to rise.
"Come here" said one of EN-, beckoning
to me. "Come quick before the others come
l want your hair"
-" What did he mean by that ?" said one
who with the most fixed attention had been
standing by, eagerly devouring all that Earth
had been telling
9 Why, he wanted to scalp me, - said Earth
= Well, when he called me to him to let him
have my heir, couldn stand it any longer,
but throwing up my rife, blazed away; be
jumped up like buck and tell splash in the
water My rifle made mighty pretty noise,
and L heart the report rolling away for miles
up and down the river.
" As soon as L fired, the Ingens on the bank
also screamed the war-whoOp, and the fellow
on the log cried out to 'em to bring his gun.
L jumped up and crawled to him; be gather
ed up = limb and stood his ground. The first
thing knowed he come down on me ali in a
heap, breaking the cid limb into dozen
pieces over my head and shoulders it was
good thing for ne that the limb want sound.
" His blow staggered me, but 1 soon rose
up, and seizing my rife with both hands
brought him a side wipe with the barrel AS
did, he slipped off the log in the water;
then hit him another lick, and stopping quick.
NN"A 5NASN W luC ucdu, dS Ne tri6Q
to crawl up on the log; L was low upon the
log, and be in the water, so 1 had him at a
disadvantage.
"Well, l KEEP. him bobbing his head un-
der; when l first did it, the bubbles came u,
just like you were filling a bottle with water;
you know after bottle is full, it won't bub-
BILE; well, kept bobbing his head under un.
til he would not bubble, SO 1 concluded he
was full of water, and then let him go; he
went down to the hptt0un and
him any more.
"All was now quiet, for both linens had
sunk, and l was now master Of the log; but I
had yet another struggle to make, for heard
the Ingens on the shore push off their boat.
and seed the water splash as they darted
towards me. ltwas too late to load, and then
L could kill but one; that wouldn't do-uo.
the only hope was to hide so I took ont a
string, and placed my rifle in the water, lash.
ing 1t to tho log L then threw away my hat,
and craWled as far as / could toward the
small end, easing myself into the water. Ieay-
ing nothing out but my head, and holding on
with both hands by a small limb-anotlier
minute, and the canoe grated as it run upon
the log. The linens looked about and smoke
to each other, but could see nothing they
then called their companions by name, but
there was no answer. They were now very
much distressed, and all got upon the log and
began to walk about and examine it.
when they came to the end where was
l sunk altogether, and it being the small end
of the log it began to sink, and the Ingens
soon went back. I then threw my head back,
and put my mouth out that might breathe,
just as a crippled duck sometimes does its bill.
l made no noise, it was dark, they could not
see me, and all went well. 1 heard them say,
they must have killed him. and then that
they are gone;' they seemed very much dis
tressed, wondered much at the whole affair
and neither could explain it. After about
fifteen minutes they again stepped into their
boat and pushed of. L waited until L could
hear nothing of them, then crawled up on the
log, and as L did not wish to run any further
risk, sat there till day break.
"The sun was about rising when the log
[ was upon washed up against the bank not
far from where the Ohio empties into the Mis-
sissippi. l caught hold of some bushes and
pulled the log up alongside of the bank, un-
loosed my rife, and got out. / had been in
the water so long that L was mighty weak,
and L was shriveled up, but as / began to stir
about l felt better, and setting of l went
back up - river to where started upon the
log. The first thing / seed upon getting back