Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-03

knew they were Indians.
You will readily believe me that /
would have paid well to have been
beyond the reach of the. perils that
environed me. So NJ
One of the redskins threw down some
thing heavy on the ground, which
proved to be the carcass Of a deer, or q
butfalo-ca and then another struck fire
and they soon had blaze going in the
stove. The light hared around, and [
expected every moment they would look
up and espy me. Tt seemed as if they
must hear my heart beatl Igrasped my
carbine, but did not dare cock it, but lay
motionless, though resolved if they did
see me, to assume the defensive
Two of them now began slinning the
| deer, and when they had finished and a
good bed of Goals was burned in the bot
tom of the stove, they each began roast
ing the meat in small slices on sticks
eating it as they toasted it. "aH
AS they sat there, was expecting each
instant that some of them would spy out
my frying pan which [ had stood to drain
ehind the stove.
Near an hour must have passed in
this way, which seemed an age to me;
and the five of them ate all the eatable
portions of the deer. Then they lighted
their pipes, and sitting on the benches
round the stove, smoked and told stories
and laughed as heartily as ever heard
a party of whites.
One story had in it an expression that
sounded, as the redskin spoke it, like
chOcE-aOeet, chOck-aUeet, mitti-chit-ay5t,
FOL Gov ,Hao Il
on narrating; and as often as he used the
expression the others would burst out
laughing uproariously.
All this while [ dared not so much as
stir for fear the boards would creak.
Finally, after they had smoked and
told all the stories they could think of,
they loosened their belts and prepared to
lie down. One of them went to the
bunk, but had hardly stretched himself
out in it, ere he leaped out with low,
deep exclamation. All the others sprang
up in a moment. [ thought to be sure
they had discovered or heard me now,
and was just on point of cooking my
carbine to shoot when [ heard the snake
rattle. The reptile had crawled into the
bunk, and the Indian had laid down on
it. No wonder he jumped out.
In a trice one of the others lighted a
spint; and then laughing, they poked
the bunk, till the snake raising it's head,
struck at the muzzle of one of their
guns With that, another of them in
stantly pinned it down with piece of
board: when third snatching it up by
the tail, severed the reptiles head COM
pletely, at one snap, as with a whip.
Then they laughed again, and after cut
ting off the ''rattle,' threw the body of
the reptile out.
But instead of lying down again, two
of the Indians took their guns and went
out. [ listened intently, but could not
determine, from their softly moccasined
feet, which way they went. They did
not come in again, and soon the other
three lay down.
1t was now very dark in the shanty,
and I resolved that if the redskins went
to sleep, [ would escape somehow For
if renamed till daylight, they would
hardly fail to discover me.
After a time the hard breathing of the
first one, then another, of them assured
me they were falling asleep, and pretty
soon one of them began snoring loudly
Now for the first time, for at least
three hours, I ventured to turn over and
stretch out my cramped legs. Yet,
! though / felt certain they were all three
sleeping, [ doubted if it would be posi-
bic to get down off the boards without
waking them up.
| then thought of trying the roof,
which was close to my head. On push.
ing against it with my hands, I found
that tie slabs were not nailed on very Sc
curely. Creeping along, [ tried first
one, then another. [ could start them ur
off the rafters, but they creaked, and but
| for the heavy snoring which the Indian
made, I never could have accom-
plished it.
Timing my efforts to his breath,
would push up when he drew one of his
shores, and In that way blended the
creaking of the old rusty nails with his
nasal music.
| At length, I pushed one slab free and
turned it back on the other, upon the
outside. The next one I got off little
easier; but on attempting to turn it back
as had the other, it commenced to slide
off the roof. and to my horror fell down
to the ground with loud clatter.
The snoring stopped. I thought ]
would be discovered now, and clutching
my carbine, held my breath, expecting
they would all three leap up with a
whoop. But though / heard them turn
and stir, they did not wake; and soon the
snoring one was breathing heavily again
| louder than ever.
/ Now that I had the two slabs off. there
was just about room enough for me te
crawl out. AS softly as possible, L die
SO, and getting down to the caves
swung off to the ground and stole on tip
toe away.
Sliding down the bank, where my mule
was, L unfastened and repacked him, an6
then looking out a path up the side Of
the gully into the trail, went on as fas
as / could lead him.
But my perils that night were not over
yet. A late moon, now in it's last half
was just rising in the southeast, but the
trees and bushes still Swallowed the trail
After going half or three-quarters of g
mile, [ crossed bridge over the creek
H. L