Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-04-23

| drew up my mantle, slouched my hat, and theI
settled down for my watch.
Fortunately for me the moon was up, ant
though the forest trees threw a shadow upon me
| yet the beams fell full on Karl, and could Sc,
his every movement We were well into tn,
Wabash, having entered it about three o'clock
''You will call me at midnight" / said drow
silly.
Yes he returned
"Good night"
"Good highland pleasant dreams I'll hav,
you farther on your way than you think ere you
wake up again.
perhaps So" thought TO myself, as l low
cred my head and pretended to lower myself t,
sleep.
For halfan hour my companion steered the ca
noe very well, and seemed to take but little no
tice of me; but at the end of that time / could
see he became more uneasy. l commenced t.
snore with long regularly drawn breath. and
on the instant the william started as starts the
hunter when he hears the tread of game in the
woods.
But bark Aha--there was before one ling.
ering fear in my mind that might shoot the
wrong man but it was gone now. AS the fell
low stopped the motion of the paddle, l distinct
y heard him mutter-
"Oho, my dear sheep-you little dreamed that
Gus Karl was your companion. But he'll do
you good turn If your friend is dead you shall
| ioIiON MIN, anu IL tdhe YOUR traps 10 pay lOr
| yonr passage to heaven! !"
l think these were the very words. At any
rate they were their drift. AS he thus spoke he
noislessly drew in the paddle, and then rose to
his feet. | saw him reach up over his left shout
der, and when he brought his hand back he had
a huge bowie knife in it; l could see the blade
CLEAN in the pale moonlight land saw Karl run
his thumb along the edge, and feel the point -
My heart beat fearfully, and my breathing was
hard. 1t was with the utmost exertion that l
could continue my snoring, but managed to do
it without interruption. Slowly and noiselessy
the foul wretch approached me-Oh! his step
would not have awakened a homeland his
long cleaning knife was half raised. l could
hear mis- breathing plainly, and could hear the
grating of his teeth as hs nerved himself for tho
stroke. The william was by my side, and he
measured the distance from his hand to my heart
with his eye. In his left hand he held thick
handkerchief all wadded up. That was to stop
my mouth with Every nerve in my body was
now strung, and my heart stood still as Death
Ofcourse my snoring ceased; and at that in
slant the huge knife was raised above my bos-
ON Quick as thought brought my pistol up
| the muzzle was within a foot of the robbers
heart--he uttered quick cry-I saw the bright
| blade culver in the moonlight. but it came not
upon me. pulled the trigger, and the last fear
was passed. l had thought that the weapon
might miss fire, but it did not. There was a
sharp report, and as l sprang up and back l
heard fierce yell, and at the same moment the
robber fell forward, his head striking my knee
as he came down.
Weak and faint sank back, but sudden
tipping of the canoe brought me to my senses,
and went aft and took the paddle. As soon as
| the boat s head was once more right, turned
my eyes upon the form in the bottom of the ca
noe, and 1 saw it quiver-only spasmodic
movement--and then all was still.
All that night sat there at my watch and steer
ed my little bark | had my second pistol ready,
for l knew not surely that the wretch was dead.
| He might be waiting to catch me Oft my guard,
and then shoot me. But the night passed Slow
ly and drearily away, and when the morning
broke the form had not moved. Then | stepped
| forward and found that Gustus Karl was dead
He had fallen with his knife true to its aim, for
it had struck very near the spot where my heart
must have been, and the point was driven so far
into the solid wood that had to work hard to
pull it out and harder still to unelasp the marble
f~sArs that were closed with the dying madness
| about the handle.
Swiftly flowed the tide, and ere the sun again
sank to rest, l had reached Logansport. The au-
thorities knew the face OF Gustus Karl at once,
and when l had told them my story, they poured
out thousand thanks upon my head. A purse
was raised, and the offered reward put with it,
and rendered to me. | took the simple reward
| from the generous citizens, while the remainder
| | directed should be distributed among those who
had suffered most from the Wabash robbers dep
relations.
found poor Kemp sick and miserable. He
was burning with fever, and the doctors had shut
him up in room where well man must soon
have sutfocated.
"Water! Water! In Gods name give me
| some water" he gasped.
Haven't you had any ?" asked
He told me no. l threw open the windows
sent for pail of ice-water, and was on the point
of administering it when the old doctor came in.
He held up his hand in horror, ard told me 'two'd
kill the sick man. But gave it to him and he
drank the beverage. He drank deeply and then
slept The perspiration poured from him like
rain, and when he awoke again his skin
moist, and his fever was turned. In eight days
from that time he sat in his saddle by my side,
and together we started for Little River At
Waton's settlement found my horse wholly
recovered, and when l offered to pay for his keep
ing the host would take nothing. The story of
my adventure on the river had reached there
ahead of me, and this was the landlords graft
tude