The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-04-02
OUT.JUGGLED.

Itul uuN tIilNlt. 'iii' mn HN'''tS ''
of your knock-ahout experiences on the
frontier"
1t was during or hunting trip up Red
river into Texas and the ''NationS terri
tory. We had caml~d that night in .hc
shelter of the bluffs, and had Il roaring
campfire burning; for Il clustering
..northcr' had come down on us. Mac
had figured as a travelling magician.
"Well, gentleman" Mac responded, at
length. and in compliance with or ur-
gent. hilarious demand on him, Il will
tell you allttle thing that happened tome
once on y time, and not Sovcry long ago.
either. 1t was last fall, in fact, and
came off at one of the Comanchc vii
lagos.
t'About the middle of November, |
was trailing my cart and show-truck over
the sill Route once more, and |
campcd for the night at the Comanchc
town, as | had done a hundred times be-
fore that. | knew the bucks, every one
of them, or thought did, and felt no
fear of going among EN- alone, though
before I'd always carried a driver.
"WclI. | hadn't got my supper cooked
before q lot of young braves came down
to my wagon and engaged me for 4 show
that evening in their new school-housc.
Well, they've got one, a big log house.
with a board floor and seats. 1t had
Just been built. and they'd got an cdica-
ted hali-brccd girl to teach.
81 told the Young chaps that If they'd
help me rig Il little staging and put up
nv curtains and raise nc five dollars, la
give 'cm Il tirst-class show. with all the
latest performances in lcgcrdcmain.
"Wcll, these young bucks that l was
speaking of came down in bout an hour
with half the town, young and old. ing
and little, at their heels. and away we
went. cart. horse and all, over to the
school house, which was built in the
woods bout forty rods from the village.
In Il very short space Of time we had a
narrow staging rugged. and ! hung my
calico curtains cross the front OF IT,
packed in my t~ruck-chcStS, and while
the house was a-tilling up plumb full of
the black. grca>y-faccd beggars, l got
ready for business.
"Thcv raised me the five dollars IN
silver, and paid it cheerful as you please;
the beggars'll give their last cent either
for q drink of whisky or to see any kind
of Il queer performance that is new to
them.
"Wcll, I opened up on EN-. I per-
formed with rings, with cup and ball,
and set 'cm all a-grunting and a-chug-
gering with delight.
Then ! loaded a pistol, marked the
bullet, and let en- examine it; and then
handing the pistol to a young buck. |
told him to shoot nc square between the
ewes. That was too much for them Com
anchcs; they just grippcd their seats and
gruntcd like a lot of wild hogs that
you've just jumped il a thicket of sweet
briers.
THAT Young bucks hand trcmblcd
like n mules car; but he pulled down on
me, gritty like, shut his teeth and cut
loose. Then them COmanchcS just rose
to their feet and yelled. But stepped
, down OF: If the smoke and mntioncd en-
back into their seats, and got en- quiet
agin.
Then | opened my lips and showed
'em the bulle! between my teeth. and
when they'd all seen it there. | took it
out and passed it round. 1t had the
same marks as the bullet they'd seen me
put in the pistol.
but | hadn't done with EN- yet; fool
that l was, l proposed the rope perform
ancc, and called On two Of their best
men 70 conc up and tie me, telling 'cm
that | could get out of their knots before
one of 'cm could find time to saddle Il
pony, if the horse were right there.
~ produced my rope, i good long one,
thrcc-cighths. and stout enough to hold
atwo-vcar-old steer. ] laid down on the
platform and told EN- to come on and do
their tying. At first they all seemed i
little scared of trying; that bullet bust
ness, YOU see, had made en- a little shy
bout footing around me.
"Prcscnt!y, a big, tall. ugly-looking
cd buck, wearing Il green blanket round
him and q lot Of dyed turkey feathers in
his hair, came up on the stage and mo-
toned to Il stout Young one, sitting near,
to come and help him. The Young chap
trottcd up and they went at me.
81 swellcd out my muscles with I'LL my
might; YOU know how the tricks done;
but, gentlemen, before they got half done
l knew was cOrncrcd.
Il saw it in that old black villains
wrinkled. scowling face and in his MUIR
derous, Snaky little eyes. He was one of
their mcdicinc-mcn. probably the greatest
of the tribe. The old brute was jealous
of me; and, knowing there was nothing
any more supernatural! about my tricks
than about his own hccdyus Juggling.
he'd made up his mind to corral me in
one of my W performances.
"Wcl!. gentlemen. that rope was
passed round my wrists in Il %twinkling,
and drawcd 50 tight that | winkcd hard
with the pain. and ! felt the veins swell
almost to bursting.
"From my wrists they passed the ronc
tight around my waist, then took half
hitch round my neck and knottcd it
under my arms. Then they went for my
legs with the other end Of the rope. and
tied my ankles I'd taken off my boots
so tight that my feet achcd before they'd
finished knotting.
Il laid there and never opened my
mouth; | wouldn't even 81 myself think
till they pulled the c~urt!:n> on me.
When they got through, | told EN- to
Nud" tIt lUi iUli dtit sIiNN III III ~ 'htt
I might set my medicine at work upon
the ropes. l saw I'll" Old m"dicin"-man
grin asI give the order. He showed the
young fellow off tn" sta-in" and pulled
the curtains to, leaving himself inside.
Then | heard Il surprised grunt all over
the house, and / began to think.
81 let my muscles relax and shrunk up
ike a turtle; but them knots shrunk
with me, and | found myself helpless as
a baby; and there was that old grinning
wretch bending over me with his Snakish
black eyes Just gli1trring in triumph.
tx Guess you've got Inc, old man.
said I; what are you going TO do about
it %
Gle bent lower over me, and made i
Kissing noise with his mouth, a noise that
sounded exactly like the buzz Of a rattle
snakes tail. Everything and everybody
in the room was as still as a tombstone.
II couldn't hear a breath outside. All at
once that wretch stopped his Kissing, and
with'a quick movement jerkcd my head
up between his knees. jammcd something
between my jaws, whipped a red scarf
out from under his blanket, and passed
it around my head and m~outh-ga%gcd
me, in fact, tight as a doublc-sinchcd
bucker.
"I've given my last show on this
earth I thought. Then the cid villain
backed down off the platform and slipped
out from under the curtain.
''Therc was a general grunt OF curiosity
and establishment outside; and a heap OF
admiration for thcir old jugglcr was m
up with their racket.
'Silence!w growlcd the old wretch in
Comanche. Silence. l have breathed
upon the bad medicine-man of the whites.
If l had not done so, his vile, poisonous