The Red Cloud chief., 1876-06-15

1LS tPIIOTS. lie sdiu No SSiAo"
tone:
ben, l am greatly interested in this
account you have given Inc, and would
like to see this monster for myself. /
would like to have you and Joe here
accompany me to the vicinity OF the
island, tonight, and We will see if We
cannot unravel this mystery"
The trappers protested against any
such procedure, Ben bewailing his folly
in revealing his knowledge, and declar-
ing that he would rather face a whole
tribe Of Blackfeet. Knowland, however,
was firm in his resolve, and as they were
in his employ, and bound in duty to obey
him, and besides, as friends. did not wish
to lose his friendship and De accused of
cOwardice, they consented to guide him
to the haunted island, and, rs they veri-
ly believed, to the abode Of his Satanic
Majesty himself.
They soon reached the fringe OF tim
Der, and finding a gully where they
would be safe from the eyes Of prowl-
ing savages, they kindled a fire and
roasted some juicy venison, of which
they ate heartily, for a tramp among
the mountains is one of the best of ap-
petizers.
They remained here, smoking and
chatting, until the moon had risen high
above the tree tops, and Knowland's
silver timepiece, indicated the hour of
10, when, shouldering their guns. they
carefully threaded their way down
stream, i'm the direction of the island,
fitting like silent spectres from tree to
tree and bowlder to bowlder. They had
%traversed about Il half mile, when Shasta
| Joe, who was in advance, uttered a
warning ssh" and halted.
"See yer, now" he said, turning to the
others, "we're almost to the Internal
| place, and as huntin' ghosts is a ticklish
sort o business, we want to keep clus
together, an as still as possible. For
rard!"
Again they moved on, and O came
in sight Of the stream, cleaning in the
moonlight like a bed of molten silver.
They could see the low, black island in
the centre covered with low bushes, and
concealing themselves where they could
command a good view of the island, the
stream and either shore, they began
their silent watch, continually scanning
the river and cOnversing only i'm the
lowest whispers. The tedious hours
wore slowly away; midnight drew near,
and still they waited and watched.
Its about time the critter was a
comm, if he's a gOin' to" whispered Ben.
"He generally appears nea the shad-
der o that tree, leanin' over the water"
The words had scarcely left his lips
when the waters near the position indi-
Gated were violently agitated, and a
huge, hairy form in human resemblance
rose out of the water, its two horns
cleaning ghostly white in the noon
light, and gave vent to a schreeching
roar that rolled over the waters like the
shrek of a fiend, and was echoed and
re-echOed among the surrounding cliffs
with a demoniacal and startling inten-
sity. The next instant the strange crea-
ture, whether man. beast, or devil, sank
from sight beneath the troubled waters
of the Gold stream.
The trio seemed riveted to the spot
by a strange fascination, and it was not
until the reverberating echoes had died
away, that they ventured to breathe
freely, when Ben said, with a sarcastic
ring in his voice:
what do you call that, l wOndcr?"
KnOwland'S strained nerves relaxed
at the sound of Ben's voice. and he
answered in strangely puzzled and wa
vering tones.
That's the most wonderful phenOme- |
non l ever beheld."
"Its not a spirit, though, l reckon?"
said Ben with a e
mo, l can't believe that it is. 1t may
be some aquatic animal Of which we
have not heard, or more probably some
miner who has found a rich lead en-
deavOring to brighten and prevent any
one from approaching his claim"
Il mOut a knOwed you wouldn't be-
lieve what you seed yourself. The next
thing you'll be sayin' it was an optical
delusion, and We didn't hear any noise
at all. I'll tell you, l believe it's the Ole
Boy hisself, and that we'd better git
away from this section if we want to |
save Our hair. The Injuns call it Devils |
Island and are as afeard of it as death,
an they do say that whoever goes near
that Island never gets away alive.
II don't care what the Indians say
about it." replied knOwland, I'm not
going to leave these parts until I solve
this mystery. We can't do anything
more tonight, so We'll have to wait till
tomorrow night Have you a canoe
about here?'
Ben replied that he had a good one
near their camp.
"Well, that will do; tomorrow night
I'm going beneath the shadow of that
tree. If you will go with me, we'll and
good; if not, l shall 60 alone"
Nothing of Importance occurring we
will pass Over the intervening. time,
until the following night, when we find
our friends nearing the haunted island
in a large Indian canoe.